Bang, bang!

Dodger pitcher Vicente Padilla was treated for a minor gunshot wound after a hunting accident in Nicaragua on Tuesday, his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

Padilla’s agent, Adam Katz, said the pitcher was grazed in his right thigh by a bullet, sought treatment at a local hospital and was discharged after 30 to 40 minutes.

According to media reports in Nicaragua, Padilla was injured at a shooting range. At least two reports stated that Padilla, 32, was accidentally shot by a bodyguard who was attempting to fix Padilla’s gun.

Pretty conflicting reports on the situation. Can’t help but think of Plaxico Burress, who is now two years in prison for shooting himself in the leg. Guess things are a little more lax in Nicaragua…

Closer than the experts think?

The early line has Oklahoma as a six point favorite on the road at Nebraska.

After watching the Husker offense this season a betting man would take a second look at this spread. Most would predict an easy win for the Sooners, but Vegas lines are nothing to scoff at. These people know what they are doing, they don’t just pull numbers out of the sky, it’s a business. A very successful one at that!

It’s early in the week and this can change and most likely will. Yet, if it stays anywhere close to where it is now, a close defensive game should be expected. For Husker fans the less offense the better. A game in the teens gives them a puncher’s chance much more so than a shootout.

Hopefully Roy Helu gave his green jersey to Alex Henery.

Duck, duck, duck, rout!

There’s only one game that needs mention from Saturday. Oregon 47, USC 20.

An upset wasn’t out of the question, but nobody could have expected this outcome. Not even the Oregon players could have envisioned they would hand the Trojans their worst defeat since 1997.

All we have heard for the past five or so years is how great USC is and how much talent they have in their backyard. Once very true statements, yet those days look to be coming to an end. True it’s one game, but it was a big game and when was the last time we saw Southern Cal fail on the big stage?

Go ahead, I’ll wait…

Talent, which SC will continue to have, is a huge factor, but it’s not the only factor. Complacency could be the ultimate demise of the Trojan dynasty. Five stars don’t make up for hard work and preparation. Gone are the days where a team can just show up and win, USC now knows that all to well.

Think too much is being made of one game? Well consider this, Oregon racked up 613 yards of total offense, 319 on the ground, nearly doubling USC’s output (327). More importantly the Trojans have now lost their last four games in the state of Oregon, that’s no fluke!

Mark it down

This week is short on big games, but there are a few that could be interesting.

Even though Georgia is unranked any time they matchup with Florida it’s always a big game. Not to mention the fact the Gators are top-ranked. That could give the Bulldogs a little extra motivation as if they needed any after last year’s outcome.

USC and Oregon looks big time on paper, but don’t be fooled. The Trojans lose games you don’t expect them to, not big games. It may be rough early on as the Ducks will have all of Autzen Stadium behind them, but USC does what they need to get the win.

Oklahoma State has had to deal with several key losses this season, yet their lone set back came at the hands of Houston early on in the season. The Cowboys are quietly setting themselves up for a big finish to the season. Based on recent games between the teams it’s hard to pick against the Longhorns, but with the way things have played out in the Big 12 so far this year anything’s possible.

***Keep an eye on: Kansas State v. Oklahoma and UNLV v. TCU. People are raving about what Bill Snyder has done, but I’m reserving judgment until they play a quality Big 12 team, which will happen Saturday. TCU is coming off a blowout of ranked BYU, perfect time for a letdown.

Say what?

Larry Johnson was suspended for one game by the Chiefs for allegedly using a gay slur on two separate occasions.

Not trying to address the issue itself, but instances similar to this. I’ve read several stories about the incident and was unable to find one that revealed what was said.

Slurs aimed at any group of people are no doubt unacceptable, but in situations like this what was said needs to be revealed. If Dom Imus’ infamous “nappy headed hoes” comment was never heard, how would that situation have played out? Not like it did, I guarantee that.

The most important part of being a journalist is informing your audience. By withholding information you are doing a disservice to the public and more importantly journalism.

Philly fanatic

A woman in Philadelphia has been charged with prostitution and other related offenses after offering to perform sexual acts in exchange for tickets to a Phillies World Series game against the Yankees.

Susan Finkelstein, 43, posted an online ad which read, “DESPERATE BLONDE NEEDS WS TIX (Philadelphia) Diehard Phillies fan–gorgeous tall buxom blonde– in desperate need of two World Series Tickets. Price negotiable— I’m the creative type! Maybe we can help each other!”

Bensalem Township police made contact with the female after viewing her ad on Craigslist, according to myfoxphilly.com. The woman then allegedly solicited an undercover police officer to perform various sex acts in exchange for the tickets.

If she posted this on Craigslist, I wonder what was on her Twitter…

Back-to-back!

It’s been 135 days since the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship, beating the Orlando Magic 99-86, winning the series 4-1.

But the wait is almost over as the NBA season tips-off tonight with a match-up of potential conference champions as Boston travels to Cleveland.

The defending champions (Lakers) made a few somewhat surprising changes in the off-season.  L.A. said goodbye to versatile swingman Trevor Ariza, who signed with Houston, and made a risky move in bringing in the always unpredictable Ron Artest. However, the biggest deal for the Lake-Show was re-signing Lamar Odom arguably the most valuable player outside of Kobe Bryant. The Lakers are no doubt the team to beat in the West.

Denver and San Antonio are looking to challenge L.A., but it could be an uphill battle.

Denver made the Western Conference finals a season ago and didn’t make any huge changes. The Nuggets were able to hang onto defensive specialist Chris Anderson. Their second best move was made in the draft where they selected Ty Lawson out of North Carolina, who looks to be a serious candidate to backup Chauncey Billups at the point.

The window of opportunity went from shut to cracked after aging San Antonio was able to acquire Richard Jefferson. Jefferson should add much needed offense. The two questions facing the Spurs are whether or not Manu Ginobli can stay healthy and how they will deal with the loss of defensive stalwart Bruce Bowen.

The Eastern Conference saw a fair share of changes starting with conference champion Orlando. The Magic signed Vince Carter to bolster their offensive attack, but the question remains can Dwight Howard make a free throw when it counts?

After winning it all two years ago, Boston looks primed for another shot at the crown.

The Celtics picked up Rasheed Wallace and will have a healthy Kevin Garnett. Yet, the C’s are faced with the same problem as the Spurs, age.

Last season’s MVP Lebron James and coach of the year Mike Brown, welcome Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland this season. The Diesel is looking for another title in what could be James’ final season with the Cavs.

A lot can happen over an 82-game season. This could be the season the power shifts from the West to the East. Cleveland, the Magic and Boston have a legitimate shot at the title. With the East top heavy, these three teams will beat up on one another and whoever makes it through the gauntlet, I’m predicting Cleveland, will be in no shape to challenge the Lakers.

Because of the talent on their roster, there’s no reason L.A. shouldn’t be hoisting the trophy once again next June.

Hot, dog?

So Mark Sanchez ate a hot dog. Guess this is the kind of story you can expect in a game where the Jets blasted the Raiders 38-0.

If you haven’t seen it check it out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWhBwpshxlY&feature=related), it’s pretty funny.

Also you gotta see this hit, Cowboys fan or not…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz9xgOOIjYI

Fall back

A photo of Michael Beasley asleep on a boat with several beer bottles and cans on a nearby table, was  posted on TMZ.com. First off it’s TMZ, they’ll pretty much post anything and aren’t exactly considered credible by most.

The pictures were taken on a team outing earlier this month. The 20-year-old Beasley said Saturday that he does not drink, and the ship’s captain released a statement saying the player did not “consume or even touch” alcohol on the trip. Miami Heat officials also insisted Beasley did nothing wrong.

Another compromising photo was posted to Beasley’s now-closed Twitter account over the summer, around the time he was a patient at a Houston rehabilitation facility.

People are so interested in negativity, especially when it comes to someone else’s problems. It would be unbelievable if it wasn’t so sad. Just let the dude live.

What next?!

A couple of upsets and several close games, Saturday.

Clemson pulled the biggest shocker of the week beating No. 10 Miami 40-37. Going by the rankings, Oklahoma “upset” No. 25 Kansas 35-13, but going into the game anybody who was honest about the situation couldn’t have expected much less.

A number of top ten teams were pushed to the limit. Florida got a break or two to outlast Mississippi State, 29-19. Alabama may have pulled the narrowest of escapes (12-10), blocking what would have been a game-winning Tennessee field goal. Iowa also pulled another rabbit out of their hat with a touchdown as time expired to remain unbeaten, getting the 15-13 win over Michigan State. And USC had just enough offense to hold off Oregon State 42-36.

The biggest statements of the week were made by Texas, who dismantled Missouri 41-7. TCU bum-rushed BYU winning by 31 (38-7) and Cincinnati had no problems with Louisville (I knew they wouldn’t), as they rolled 41-10.

Every week seems to get crazier and at this point nothing will surprise me (i.e. Iowa State 9 Nebraska 7).