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All is right, and by that I mean horribly wrong, in the world again. The Evil Empire has re-claimed its spot atop the baseball universe, casting its belittling eye upon the downtrodden MLB masses. I have no desire to talk about this event and will now go about trying to avoid all sports highlights, newspapers and online coverage of said occurrence to as great a deal as possible. Hopefully, in a few weeks it will all fade into the darkness - leaving the New York media ample opportunity to then heap deserved criticism on the Jets and Giants (who've managed to escape the real ire to date, thanks to those friendly Bronx Bombers).It really is brutal. Peter Gammons speaking to how "proud he is" of Jeter opining on the "long time" it's been seen the Yanks last championship. Pettite railing on about the bond in the lockerroom and the team's singular focus since spring training and blah, blah, blah. Why must we continue to endure this?

The Chiefs are in the midst of yet another losing season, having a record of 1-6 on the year. While we’re already aware of the issues they’ve had with volatile running back , it seems as if they’re trying to avoid any other problems within the organization — the sort of the thing [...]

Greg Moore, the editor of the Denver Post, on his sports section's talking heads this past week. No more NFL predictions or rankings. Boom. Mr. Moore determined that this regular newspaper staple is faulty; scribes offering picks/rankings about teams they're covering is a no-no because they could show biased favoritism.

Frankly, we can't believe any reader is forking over this week's grocery money based on what some local writer says. Seriously. Look at . But that's besides the point.

Thankfully for us (and you the readers), the fine folks at Yardbarker and Gillette Fusion believe in the objectivity of this ranking panel. And dammit, we believe in ourselves, too. And the Rams, for that matter. Our number men ranked the Rams dead last in every previous week, and with a solid win over the always gritty, um, Lions, they vaulted ahead of the Bucs and the Browns.

The Saints remain in first place for the second consecutive week and if this were Beckett Magazine, we'd place a cute little flame icon next to their logo because they are getting "steamy hot" - they received 7 of 8 possible first place votes.

- Matt /

Panel Insights:

: Right now making the Super Bowl is a distinct possibility. At that point I may have to shut off my TV, Internet & radio until game time. I would not be able able to handle the bath water slurping that would take place. Sorry just needed to get that out of my system.

: Once again the Saints and Colts held serve at the top of the league. Denver finally looked like everyone assumed they would all season, while the Eagles looked downright dominant. Now that we're into the meat of the season, expect the perennial contenders to begin their rise back to the top.

: Is it too early to declare Saints safety the NFL MVP? The offense gets all the attention, as offenses always do, but the New Orleans pass defense right now is THE statistical story of 2009: No. 1 in Defensive Passer Rating (53.4) and No. 1 in INTs (16), with Sharper leading the way (NFL best 7).

: Several of the top teams struggled this weekend. The Colts and Saints had trouble hanging on to their undefeated mark while the Broncos suffered their first loss. The team to watch in my eyes is the Patriots. They entered their bye week on a roll and it will be interesting to see how they come out over a tough November.

: I think the Saints finally deserve the top spot. It's true that the Colts have won 16 games in a row (dating back to last season), but they haven't played the level of competition that New Orleans has.

: Saints and Colts continue to roll, Giants continue to spiral. Broncos finally lose, but are still tough. Eagles take control of NFC East heading into matchup with Dallas. What a great week of football.

The obvious reason this never gets discussed is no one can see James hooking on with Bryant. I really cannot understand why not.

How good a team would that be with Bryant, James, and ? Supposedly it would look like James searching out a place to win a championship instead of lifting his team to one. Allegedly a no-no.

But Bryant is 31; James is 24. Bryant has probably three really high level seasons left before some sort of a transition. It was the transition Shaq could never accept and why I think the Lakers dynasty broke up. Not because of Kobe. But because Shaq refused to be viewed as a supporting player to Bryant, and the Lakers understood that. So they traded him. Clearly the right move.

The Lakers are no sure thing to win the championship with the Celtics healthy and the Magic deep. But you add LeBron and it’s hard to imagine anyone beating them the next three or four years.

No way, no way, no way.

Despite what Smith says, LeBron joining the Lakers is akin to LeBron saying - "I'm not good enough to win a title on my own, I need Kobe's help."

The egos are too big to co-exist. Maybe if Kobe was a few years older, in a declining stage of his career.

The Lakers don't have the cap room to outright sign James during free agency. The only way this could happen financially, is through a sign and trade. Smith throws around names like Bynum, Artest, Farmar and draft picks.

Enough with this fantasy.... although watching the Celtics beat a LeBron and Kobe tandem in the Finals would be the greatest thrill in sports.

is a kick returner and wide receiver for the , and while he only has one career catch, he might be able to moonlight as an impressionist. Anderson actually does a solid Ron Jaworski. Via .... While the actual voice is a bit off, the cadence is absolutely spot on. He did actually get one thing wrong though. Given that the situation he described was a three receiver set, wouldn't be on the field.

The lead the World Series 3-2 over the as the series returns to Yankee stadium for the final two games. Yes, I’m aware there may end up being one game. But, no league has ever needed a Game 7 more than needs one now. MLB Network analysts Matt Vergersian, Harold Reynolds, and Mitch Williams wrapped up their pre-game show by recognizing the importance of a Game 7 all at once saying, “We don’t care who wins, please just give us a game 7!” Here are five reasons MLB NEEDS a Game 7: -Steroids Ah, the black eye. The ‘roid cloud has affected fans’ perception of the league, possibly doing damage similar to that of the ‘94 strike, making us doubt our heroes. But, like Mark McGwire and helped fans forget post-strike, there’s nothing like a Game 7 to heal all wounds. And, the players who have been outed a la A-Rod, have been forgiven and are presumably clean. The testing is there, no matter what your opinion is on the testing, is perceived as being the cleanest it’s been since Reggie Jackson was an Oakland A. Nevertheless, Game 7 drama and excitement would make even the hardest cynic forget PEDs. -TV Ratings Last season’s World Series topped out at a 9.3 rating, this World Series lowest rating is a 9.1 and highest a 13.5. Maybe we can’t go back to the days were MLB was king, but drawing higher ratings builds momentum for the league to compete against the mighty NFL. Think of it this way: When selling MLB next year, if there is a Game 7, the league can charge more from sponsors by proving its product can compete. If the highest rating is a 13.5 so far, Game 7 would likely flirt with a 15, which would be the highest since the historic 2001 World Series, which also went to seven games. Also good for the league, the mantra “MLB is back” will undoubtedly spread. -Historic Context Yes, that word. Think of the Game 7s of the past. Names like Mazeroski, , , Johnny Podres etc. come to mind when you think Game 7. Who would be this year’s Maz? A Game 7 would give 50 players a chance to stamp their names in history and create unforgettable “remember that” moments. Sure, the game could be a blowout, but just the potential of that moment would draw attention back to . -Making up for lackluster Division and Championship series Two sweeps in the American League and a sweep and a 3-1 result in the National League Division Series made the MLB wish they had Tim Donaghy calling balls and strikes. The Championship Series’ weren’t much better going 4-2 and 4-1. So, the league only saw only 24 out of a potential 34 games be played. That’s 10 missed ticket sales, concessions sales etc. and also, six missed chances at a clinching game, which ultimately would have meant boosted TV ratings. And six series that completely failed to thrill fans. The World Series is the last chance at a clinching game, which the league hasn’t seen since 2002, including series sweeps in ’04, ’05 and ’07. -Redemption for all The sweeps in the previously mentioned years are why redemption is needed. can redeem itself by making up for poor World Series of the recent past; consider the casual fan who certainly passed on Game 4 of Red Sox vs. Rockies. This Game 7 will bring in that casual fan, especially considering how close the games have been, out of five games so far, only one has not been separated by three runs or less. The Yankees can redeem themselves for a decade of failing to win with the highest payroll and can finally justify outrageous ticket prices. Keep in mind the Yankees drew around 4,000 less fans per game than in 2008. Bud Selig can redeem himself for giving us the “Radar Game” from 2008. Selig, FOX, owners and all who support are pleading, as the MLB Network crew said, “Please give us a Game 7!” OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK (THE BIZ OF FOOTBALL) Does the NFL Salary Cap Still Work? Browns Fire GM George Kokinis After 1-7 Start UFL Failing to Dazzle at the Turnstiles DeMaurice Smith and Roger Goodell to Testify Regarding "StarCaps" Case Buccaneers Fire Back After Report That Team May Be Up For Sale (THE BIZ OF HOCKEY) Panel Installs Mike Ouellet As Acting Executive Director of NHLPA Ian Penny Steps Down as Interim Exec. Director of NHLPA NBCU & VERSUS: An Alternative to ESPN? (THE BIZ OF BASKETBALL) Reached 5-Year, $55M Extension with Celtics NBA.TV Adds to On-Air Talent Roster (SPORTS BASH) When Is Going to Show You the Finger? George W. Has to Go to Japan To Play Baseball NFL, MLB Tell States to Get Off Their Lawn When it Comes to Drug Policies Matthew Coller is staff member of the Business of Sports Network and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter Follow The Biz of Baseballl on Twitter Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook

This just came down from AP Wire: West was indicted on two counts of carrying a dangerous weapon, two counts of carrying a handgun, two counts of transporting a handgun, and one count each of reckless driving and negligent driving. The charges are all misdemeanors. Each of the weapons counts carries a penalty of up to [...]

What’s up everybody? We’re almost ready to launch my new site and I hope you guys really like it. I’m going to try and hit this blog a couple of times a week to give you guys a peek inside our season with the Magic and my life off the court. I think it’s gonna be pretty tight, and we’re all about winning that championship this season, so it’s gonna be a special year.Ya’ll all know that I’m out and not playing, and I gotta tell you it’s been hard to deal with. I’ve known for months that this was coming, but I guess it didn’t really hit me hard until the night of the first game that I wasn’t there. Tonight vs. Detroit will be the fourth game, so I’m almost halfway through this thing. I’m just glad the team is winning and that’s taken some of the stress off, but it’s still killing me.It’s kind of like being a kid on Christmas without actually getting to open the presents. I go through all of the practices and walkthroughs and I’m on the roadtrip with the fellas (by the way, dang it’s cold up here in Detroit), but then I don’t get to play in the games. I’m the type who likes to be involved with the team, and mentally this has been hard on me.For the opener against Philly, I rode the bike before the game because I really wanted to see the team get the Eastern Conference banner. I had a lot to do with that and I didn’t want to miss it. I got a ride in before the game, got a shower and tuned in to make sure I didn’t miss seeing that banner go up.And then in New Jersey, the game wasn’t on TV in the hotel room. I bet I flipped through those channels 20 times. I went down to the hotel lobby and they didn’t have the game, so I had to walk down the street to a bar. They didn’t even have the Nets on in there and I had to ask them to turn it on.Even though I haven’t been playing I’ve worked hard to stay in shape. I know that I have to come back ready, but really there’s nothing like actually playing and game shape. No matter how much running you do and cardio, it’s different than playing in the game.We’ve done as much on the court as possible with a lot of shooting drills and some cardio. I think I’ll have fresh legs, but I also think I’ll get tired early in games because I’ve been out. I haven’t scrimmaged much, so getting the tempo back might take a few games.Trust me, I’ve already circled Nov. 16 on my calendar. That will be my first night back and I can’t wait for it. Ya’ll know I’m the ultimate team guy and not being a part of the team has been so hard for me. But I’ll survive and get back to help this team.We’ll I’m out to get a bite. Hopefully we can beat Detroit tonight and get to 4-0. As long as we keep winning, that’s all I’m about.Later -- SHARD

This post is brought to you by Sportsbetting.com, the best bonuses and promotions. Join now the most secure !Sometimes the most interesting and lines are those that make you look into the distant future. For instance will pick up ? At face value one would probably say yes, but you still have to dig deeper into it. is coming off an MVP season. He is the best player in the NBA and will be the favorite to win the MVP award the season and likely every season for the near future. And he's still only 24 which if you think about it is remarkable given the impact he has already had. But 5 total MVP trophies is a very very lofty accomplishment done only by Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He has the talent to do it, but there are many risks involved.1) Injury - has for the most part avoided the injury bug. He's big and strong and young. But injury's can rear their ugly head and2) His Teams Need to Win - Lebron doesn't have more than one MVP award simply because his Cavs didn't win enough games in 07-08 and 06-07. The MVP award is half individual accomplishments and half team accomplishments, if the Cavs suck LBJ won't win.3) 2010 Free Agency - This could make or break the bet. Lebron could move to New York. He could stay in Cleveland. He could have a super star teammate. He could have Darko as a teammate. No one knows what is going to happen and this could make every difference on whether or not he will cash in 4 MVP awards.4) Ten Years is a Long Time - The next great NBA player could be a junior in high school right now. He could be better than Lebron for all we know and he could potentially dominate the league from 2015-2019 and make Lebron second fiddle.At the end of the day, I'm going with Lebron. He should already have more than 1 MVP and after this offseason I think the Cavs will bulk up with an additional A-List free agent that will help the Cavs win for the long haul. Lebron is still very young and he is the best player in the world by a good margin over every but Kobe and Kobe is ready to start the downside of his career. I'm taking LBJ to reach 5 MVP Awards by the start of the 2019-2020 season.