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A few short years ago Greg Oden and Tim Tebow were playing in the NCAA championship games in their respective sports. While the teams shared different fates, there was little doubt both of these young men would make headlines in the professional ranks. Little did we know Oden would be the *ahem* biggest story of the week (NSFW) for reasons entirely unrelated to basketball or that Tim Tebow’s first Super Bowl appearance would be in a commercial about abortion.

Oden is the latest entry on a long (and distinguished) list of male athletes that have exposed themselves for all the internet to see, which shows that sexting isn’t just for high school kids. Unfortunately, his penis snapshot has made more waves than anything he’s done on the court for the Portland Trailblazers in his disappointing career thus far. Tebow, a Heisman trophy winner and 2-time National Champion, has been a vocal Evangelical voice throughout his career but has managed to steer clear of controversy until now. Not only is his already precarious draft stock declining after a poor week of Senior Bowl practice, his Focus on the Family anti-abortion ad is causing quite a controversy that has become the biggest story of the off-week before the Super Bowl.

Joining me to discuss Tebow, Oden, Glee, marriage and a bevy of other subjects is Adam Jacobi of Buster Sports and the outstanding Iowa Hawkeye blog Black Heart, Gold Pants. Click here to listen: Slant & Go with Adam Jacobi

BREAKING NEWS! We have exclusive audio of a conversation Tim Tebow had with his agent Jimmy Sexton.

Tebow Call

Like most people, I’ve been sorting through the mountains of Tiger Woods coverage (as our man Coates calls it, the Tiger Beat) with a skeptical eye. The media has so much to gain from a scandal involving the world’s least quotable athlete, that I’m wary of any early reports that have surfaced regarding his accident. Especially when you consider the “FIRSTIE” commenter mentality running rampant among news organizations, both legitimate and otherwise. But today, with sources too numerous to credit, I’ve seen the only piece of Tiger coverage that matters: The Chinese Taiwanese News CG Reenactment.

I brought the ruckus last week with 2 direct hits, allowing me to gain some ground on Senor Blake from Fanyard. Don’t call it a comeback, folks!

SCOREBOARD

Week 9
Blake: 300
Jon: 540

Overall
Blake: 3190 (88-42 overall, 56-74 with points, 6 direct hits)
Jon: 2670 (76-52 overall, 44-84 with points, 5 direct hits)

ATL@CAR:
Blake: Falcons by 10
They both really need this game, and both have issues against the run – the offensive tactic we are most likely to see most often as this match progresses. However, all else being somewhat equal, the Panthers simply have no answer for the Falcons on the passing side of things. Matt Ryan won’t have to be great to be better than Delhomme, and one or two long balls to Roddy White will be the camel that ends the season for Carolina, and John Fox’s career as the Panthers coach.

Jon: Falcons by 4
The Dirty Birds suck on the road and the Panthers are desperate. This will be a close game. But ultimately Atlanta’s passing game will be the difference.

DET@MIN:

Blake: Vikings by 27

Jon: Vikings by 14

TB@MIA:

Blake: Dolphins by 21
Wins don’t come free, man, especially not in Miami. After getting his first win, Josh Freeman will show his rookie-ness in this game. With motor-mouth Joey Porter sitting out due to a coach’s decision, Freeman should get sacked more than he otherwise would have, but at least no one will have to listen to Porter on the field. That alone will make this loss easier to bear.

Jon: Dolphins by 13
Freeman and Tampa Bay aren’t particularly good, but I don’t think the Dolphins can blow anyone out. This will be close but the Dolphins will put some distance between the two teams at the end.

JAX@NYJ:

Blake: Jets by 4

Jon: Jets by 7

CIN@PIT:

Blake: Bengals by 6
The Benglas have never swept the AFC North. They have also never swept both the Ravens and the Steelers in the same season. Well, they have swept the Ravens this year, and this game gives them their best shot in forever at going 6-0 intra-division. Do they have what it takes to beat the defending champs in Steeltown? You can thank Cedric Benson for the affirmative on that.

Steelers by 7
These Steelers aren’t the swept kind. And while flawed, they’re not going to lose this game at home. Especially now that they have a running game with Mendenhall. I love the Bengals renaissance as much as anyone but there are limits to their powers.

NO@STL:

Blake: Saints by 34

Jon: Saints by 24

DEN@WAS:

Blake: Broncos by 17

Jon: Broncos by 3

BUF@TEN:

Blake: Titans by 21

Jon: Titans by 10

KC@OAK:

Blake: Chiefs by 10

Jon: Chiefs by 3

SEA@ARI:

Blake: Cardinals by 14

Jon: Cardinals by 9

DAL@GB:

Blake: Cowboys by 13
If this were December, I would not even hesitate to give this game to the Packers, who really need this one. However, this is November, and Tony Romo is great at giving Cowboys fans hope at this time of year. The Cowboys will stumble, and fall, but not this week, and not against this Packers team that has lost all of the pre-season hype and respect they had going for them.

Jon: Cowboys by 7
I really don’t see how the Packers and their much-maligned offensive line can handle the Dallas pass rush. I really think that team believes in Aaron Rogers and will go to war for him, but they just aren’t good enough.

PHI@SD:

Blake: Chargers by 6

Jon: Eagles by 7

NE@IND:

Blake: Patriots by 4
Most pundits seem to relish this opportunity to discuss how this game will be won by a defense, as opposed to giving props to the two best quarterbacks of this decade. They may be right, if the Patriots can generate enough of a pass rush to throw off Peyton’s precision game. No one has been able to do it yet this season, although some teams have come close. Well, Bill Belichick’s scheming alone makes this Patriots team better than those who came close. The Colts get their first loss.

Jon: Colts by 3
I hate to bet on Peyton Manning, especially with his defense is banged up and the run game severely lacking. The Pats run game isn’t exactly hitting on all cylinders but, in theory, when Brady and Manning cancel each other out, the best defense wins. That means advantage Patriots. The problem for New England is that they don’t cancel each other out. Manning is better right now and wills his team to victory here.

BAL@CLE:

Blake: Ravens by 28

Jon: Ravens by 14

Yesterday the Spurs announced a “first-of-its-kind” companion to their TV broadcasts. But doesn’t this sound vaguely familiar?

The San Antonio Spurs today announced the launch of the Spurs TV Companion on spurs.com, a first-of-its-kind live game companion designed to enhance the television viewing experience for fans. The new full screen feature provides an in-arena experience with social media integration and video highlight packages that complement every single live telecast.

via SPURS: Spurs Launch First-Of-Its-Kind Companion For Live Game TV Broadcasts.

I feel like virtually every sports website and television network is trying some sort of add-on component to their traditional format. They add Twitter, Facebook, blog or a chat to something and presume they’re cutting edge or adding value for their audience. For the most part, this hasn’t had the kind of success people have been hoping for.

What is interesting about this venture is that the Spurs themselves have created the companion. Team-owned media is becoming an increasingly popular phenomenon, threatening outlets for sports media. Sports teams are notoriously controlling and greedy, so this makes sense for them, but is it the future of content?

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Owning a team in the NBA, a league composed primarily of African-Americans, would probably not be the best business decision for a racist. Either that or it would be the absolute best, considering you essentially “own” the strapping black lads that play for you. Enter the owner of my favorite team Donald Sterling, who has found himself on the wrong side of a record settlement.

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling agreed to pay $2.73 million this week to settle a federal case alleging he discriminated in the rental of apartments he owns with his wife in Southern California.

The settlement is “the largest monetary payment ever obtained” in this kind of case by the U.S. Justice Department, according to a news release from the organization.

It stems from allegations Sterling’s company targeted and discriminated against blacks, Hispanics and families with children in renting apartments in greater Los Angeles. The settlement must still be approved by a federal judge but should also resolve two additional tenant-filed suits alleging racial discrimination.

via Sterling suit seems to fit NBA just fine – NBA – Yahoo! Sports.

The ugly specifics are laid out in detail in Wetzel’s column, including background into several other lawsuits filed against Sterling. Not only does he appear to be an awful owner, he allegedly is an awful person. I’ve always heard the rumors that he was a miserable old man, but this takes it to another level. As the only Clippers fan East of Las Vegas, this is incredibly depressing. Not only do I feel terrible when the Clippers fail, which is the norm and typically in magnificent fashion, now I’ll feel guilty that Sterling profits even more when they succeed.

The best sentiment comes from the same column that essentially sums up the Donald Sterling reign of terror on Los Angeles:

Apparently, Sterling is so cheap he won’t even spend money to defend his reputation against a racial discrimination charge. If you’re innocent (and rich), you’d think squashing the possible assumption that you’re a despicable racist is a project worth dropping some cash on, but hey, this is Donald Sterling. You also wouldn’t think someone could run the Clippers like he has.