NFL Week 12:

Brady vs Manning

In a game that looked like it was being played in the icy mainland of Antarctica or something, Tom Brady (used to playing in freezing conditions) reeled off an incredible comeback from 24-0 down to tie his old foe Peyton Manning (not so used to the cold) 31-31 and win in overtime, thanks to a muffed Broncos punt return. You couldn’t ask for a much better game between two heavyweights, though it was the defence and run games that dominated early. New England fumbled, Denver scored. Repeat ad infinitum. Or so it appeared. Brady led the Pats back to hand the Broncos only their second loss of the year. And, yeah, it was really cold. Peyton kinda looked like Buzz Lightyear sans helmet.

Career Head to Head Scoreboard: Brady 10 - Peyton 4

The Rest of the Pack

Dallas made a minor statement by topping the Giants late on, ending New York’s 4 game win streak and their playoff pipe dream. Tony Romo had some troubles in the wind and cold, and the Giants run game ran amok, but the Cowboys’ leaky D managed to stop NY on 4th down once and 1st and goal twice, with Romo coming through strong in the clutch (yeah, eat it haters). 24-21 ‘Boys, who got top of the NFC East at 6-5.

San Fran bounced back with a solid win over the hapless Washington Professional Football Team, while Carolina and New Orleans just keep winning. The NFC North is a complete mess however, with Detroit blowing it at home to Tampa Bay, Da Bears getting blown out by St Louis and Green Bay and Minnesota blew up in a 26-all tie. The Titans, Ravens and Steelers all had important wins, while Arizona made a big statement destroying the Colts, and Philip Rivers led his Chargers past the Kansas City Chiefs, who drop their second straight after starting 9-0. Cleary Phil was a happy man.

Oh, and did I mention it was cold? Apparently some people didn't notice. It was -6ºC in Green Bay, for example:

NFL Power Rankings

Seattle Seahawks
Denver Broncos
New Orleans Saints
Carolina Panthers
New England Patriots
Kansas City Chiefs

D-Rose & Kobe

The worst possible news for NBA fans. After his knee surgery, it seems that Derrick Rose is done for the season, with a 4-6 month layoff prescribed. Sometimes sports can be so unfair. D-Rose missed all of last season with an ACL injury. This time it’s a meniscus tear. Rose could have opted for a different procedure which would have had him back in a matter of weeks, but it is much safer for his long term prospects to go in for the complete surgical repair.

Elsewhere in the National Basketball Association, Kobe Bryant has re-signed with the Lakers for another two years. He was never really gonna leave, was he? Bryant’ll be a Laker until he retires. But his $20-plus million a year deal does mean a few more years of not entirely secure finances for a team hoping to rebuild in some way sooner rather than later. Kobe is due back from injury within the next few weeks.

Top Active Scorers in the NBA

1. Kobe Bryant 31617

2. Kevin Garnett 25352

3. Dirk Nowitzki 25343

4. Paul Pierce 24177

5. Tim Duncan 23911

6. Ray Allen 23909

7. Vince Carter 22370

8. LeBron James 21410

MLB Offseason

The bats and helmets are locked away for the foreseeable future, chewing tobacco sales dipping (so to speak…), the stadiums all empty and the players on holiday. But plenty is happening in Major League Baseball still. Catcher Brian McCann signed a 5 yr $85m deal with the NY Yankees this week. Being a power hitting lefty, and an All Star one at that, this is a great fit for the Yanks, who lack in both of those clauses. Not sure how the money spent here impacts the re-signing of Robinson Cano. That saga is expected to drag on for a while yet. 29 year old McCann has played his entire career to date in Atlanta.

Elsewhere, Shortstop Jhonny Peralta (not a typo – that’s how he spells it!) has signed a mult-year deal with St Louis, which has some scratching their heads. Peralta has just served a 50 game drug suspension, and the Players Association is pretty pissed that he was able to get a $50m contract immediately. The Cardinals also traded 2011 WS MVP David Freese to the LA Angels fro outfielder Peter Bourgos.

Then there’s the big one. Literally. Prince Fielder’s trade to Texas for 2B Ian Kinsler. The more I think about it, the more I think what a great deal it is for both teams. Here’s why:

Detroit Tigers:

Get a great defensive second baseman, and an above average hitter with good power for his position.
Clear open first base for Miggy Cabrera, where he can be preserved better. They have a superb defensive infield now.
Moving Miggy from third also gives young gun Nick Castellanos a shot at earning a permanent spot in the lineup.
Kinsler has been down with his stats the last couple of years, and is 31 years old with a mild injury history. Plus his contract keeps him on the books at a decent salary for a few years yet.
It’s nothing on Fielder’s contract though, and the money they save on him should give them the flexibility to re-sign Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer and 2xMVP Cabrera.

Texas Rangers:

Fielder gives them a power hitting lefty, which they’ve missed since Josh Hamilton left. Prince is good for 100+ RBI, with massive power. Plus he’s barely ever injured.
His huge contract is burdensome, but Texas has money, and will happily tolerate it so long as he’s productive. At 29 he has plenty of good years left in him.
This frees second base for phenom Jurickson Profar, last year ranked the number one prospect in baseball. Plus Fielder shores up a position they’ve struggled for offensive production in for a while now.
Fielder is a below average fielder (ironically...) but they have other 1B around, so he could split time at designated hitter.

Prince Fielder and Ian Kinsler pretty much knew they’d be involved in a trade three years ago -> http://t.co/XgTFV5gzIA
— ESPN (@espn) November 21, 2013

Good Week:

Josh Gordon (Cleveland Browns) – This lad had 14 catches for 237 yards and a TD in the loss to the Steelers. What makes this even more amazing is that he had Brandon Weeden throwing it to him for the most part. Yes, Ol’ Weedy was back. Just shows how good this kid actually is.
San Antonio Spurs – They’re really good. I don’t know if they’re getting the hype they deserve because they do it so easy, but the Spurs have won 11 on the trot. Their coach is a genius, their defence is superb and their point guard, Tony Parker, is second only to Chris Paul in his position right now.
Paul George (Indiana Pacers) – And I say that with all due respect to this guy, who is playing his damn socks off this season, carrying on from his similar playoff form in 2012/13. Right now, George is a legitimate MVP candidate.

Bad Week:

Golden State Warriors – With Andre Iguodala injured, the Warriors are back to the young upstart team they were last year. Plenty of good shooting and confidence, but lacking the veteran presence to get them home more often than not. They’ve dropped three on the run. Iggy’s injury is considered a hamstring strain, so he won’t need surgery, but is still out indefinitely.
New York Based NBA Franchises – Key injuries and underperforming role guys have left the New York Kicks and Brooklyn Nets languishing at 3-10 & 4-10 respectively. The Jason Kidd Head Coach Experiment is starting to look silly.
NFL Pundits – What an insane week of results. Upsets all over. I guess mostly I’m just upset because my own picks went so astray…

Player of the Week:

Phil Rivers (San Diego Chargers) - It’s gotta be Phil. He led his team to score 41 against a Chiefs defence that until leaking 26 to the Broncos (looking like becoming one of the highest scoring teams in history), had not conceded more than 17 in a game all 2013. He completed 27/39 passes for 392 yards and 3 TDs. 2013 has been a superb return to form for Rivers. This win keeps his playoff hopes alive yet.

Upcoming Dates (NZ Time):

December 30 - NFL Regular Season Ends

February 3 - Superbowl XLVIII

February 17 - 2014 NBA All-Star Game