Our SportsNation have whittled their 16-entry "Posterized" bracket down to four semifinalists. Cast your vote to help decide the greatest NBA poster dunk in NBA history.
Semifinals
• Michael Jordan over Patrick Ewing, 1991 vs. Kevin Johnson over Hakeem Olajuwon, 1994
• Scottie Pippen over Patrick Ewing, 1994 vs. Shawn Kemp over Alton Lister, 1992
Semifinal voting continues until Thursday at noon ET. Championship voting begins immediately afterward, and the winner will be revealed on Thursday's SportsNation TV at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
There's a post on the "SportsCenter" blog that says the Duke-North Carolina rivalry is so passionate, even the schools' newspapers hate each other. Public Policy Polling, a reputable research group, says it's all hype -- that Duke and UNC fans don't really hate each other.
So which is it? Unless you're one of those sabermetricians, who you should believe is obvious.
• If there were no hatred, the Cameron Crazies wouldn't get so angry they need to write down their cheers in order to remember them.
• If there were no hatred, Gerald Henderson never would have been victimized by a cheap shot via Tyler Hansbrough's elbow.
• If there were no hatred, the Dean Dome would be quiet enough Wednesday night for Roy Williams to hear what a rowdy fan says about one of his players. And whisper something to security.
• If there were no hatred, North Carolina would have officially become a football school after the Tar Heels fell behind by 25 against Maryland on Sunday.
• If there were no hatred, this would be a series, not a rivalry.
• If there were no hatred, a dreadful Duke squad would never have pushed the '95 Tar Heels, who made the Final Four, to double overtime.
In spite of North Carolina's struggles this year, that '95 memory is enough to make you watch Wednesday night's game. Plus, we said so.
After a New York Times blog recently speculated that actresses Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson had "put on a little weight," actor David Arquette -- Cox's husband; see also: that goofy cop guy from "Scream" -- complained that "writing articles about people that put on weight is just wasting space for real news we just need to be a kinder society."
Gulp. We hope Cox doesn't read the sports page:
Shaquille O'Neal, Cleveland Cavaliers center
"Shaq, who is listed at 325 pounds, has to be closer to 425
if he ever asks us how his backside tastes, our guess is: Rather marbled."
-- Comcast Sports
Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox pitcher
"Buy a second seat? Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett is skipping the Japan trip because the long flight could aggravate his back spasms. This is after his off-season weight gain caused a minor frenzy in Boston. So, basically, Josh Beckett is too fat for the team plane."
-- San Jose Mercury News
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers first baseman
"Cabrera's expanding waistline has some Detroit Tigers fans wondering exactly how many Twinkies can be bought for $153 million."
-- Grand Rapids Press
Tony Siragusa, broadcaster and former NFL lineman
"Green Bay at Tampa Bay must be a big game -- Tony Siragusa is being air-lifted to the sidelines"
-- Orlando Sentinel
Jared Lorenzen, former NFL quarterback
"Known as J-Load, the Hefty Lefty and even the Pillsbury Throw Boy
"
-- New York Post
You're the best player on one of the best college basketball teams in the nation. So when your team gets new uniforms, why can't they spell your school's name correctly?
That photo went out this morning over John Calipari's Twitter feed. As you can see in the comments, many fans picked up right away on the typo, which will presumably be digitally corrected before the photo runs in an upcoming issue of Slam.
That new Wildcats uni is one of several new designs that Nike has rolled out this week. More info on that in tomorrow's Uni Watch column.
Alice in Chains isn't just a resilient, visionary band from Seattle. The band's members are also ESPN.com fantasy football stars.
Even better, the band and some friends have put some sweet items up for auction, and 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Here's a sampling of items:
• Brett Favre autographed Vikings jersey
• Jerry Cantrell's G&L; Guitar signed by Alice in Chains
• Autographed Zakk Wylde Buzzsaw custom-epiphone guitar
• Jackson King V guitar autographed by Scott Ian of Anthrax
• A drum and Dean ML X guitar autographed by Vinnie Paul of Pantera
The auction ends on Thursday. Check out the complete list of auction items here.
"Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains" premieres Thursday with familiar faces from seasons past. And while it'll be interesting to see how Colby Donaldson (a supposed hero) fares against the likes of Boston Rob (a supposed villain), it's tough not to ask, "Wouldn't it be more entertaining if the heroes and villains were professional athletes?"
Just consider the possibilities: Manny Ramirez on Exile Island; A-Rod without a mirror for 40 days; Ana Ivanovic spear-fishing in a bikini. Sure, watching the real "Survivor" is cool; but cooler than hearing, "AJ Pierzynski, the tribe has spoken"?
Take a look at our Heroes and Villains and decide for yourself.
On Wednesday night, in the span of one hour, America will receive answers to two burning questions. Can Danica Patrick juggle IndyCar, NASCAR and acting? And is Antonio Sabato Jr. still alive?
The answer to both questions, it seems, is yes -- especially if you define acting as looking darn good on camera in a tight black leather racing outfit.
Patrick, the stock-car newbie who just received a rubdown in her latest steamy Super Bowl commercial for GoDaddy, will take a crack at yet another racing form when she appears in Wednesday's episode of "CSI: NY" as Liza Gray, a Formula 1 driver who's involved in a deadly crash during an exhibition race through Manhattan. The wreck, which might be the result of car tampering, claims the life of Gray's top competitor -- star F1 driver Davi Santos, played by Sabato Jr.
Given Patrick's rising celebrity status, it's a virtual certainty that we'll see more of her on small screens -- and, word is, big ones as well. Hollywood has buzzed about a potential Patrick bio flick for some time now. When last we spoke, she'd already put together her casting wish list. "I want Angelina Jolie to play me," she said. "I'm sure anyone would want Angelina to play them."
Who's running second?
"Katie Holmes would be great too, but only if I get to meet her baby."
Since Jolie, at age 34, is seven years older than Patrick and Mrs. Cruise is presumably busy raising Suri on a space ship, we'll add a third contender to the mix: Mila Kunis. She's a fine actress, possesses equal, um, appeal and is equally unafraid to push the envelope -- as evidenced by her recent on-camera sexual liaison with Natalie Portman in their upcoming film "Black Swan," which is due in theaters later this year.
Because we feel you need to know this stuff.
With Danica Patrick racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday and the legendary Daytona 500 slated for Sunday, it's time to unfurl ESPN.com's travel guide to the 22 tracks in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series.
• ESPN Travel NASCAR tracks home page
Presenting Page 2's adjusted* men's professional tennis rankings for the week of Feb. 7:
1. Andy Roddick
2. That Federer guy
3-499. Everyone else
* Adjusted rankings based on weighted tournament results, Grand Slam performances, match statistics and spouse appearances on cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
Lose all your money betting on the Super Bowl? Make a little extra cash this week by perusing Page 2's own Classifraud Ads.
FOR SALE: One Super Bowl-winning blueprint. Slightly soiled. Also for sale -- 9,989 T-shirts that say, "Welcome Home, Colts!" (We ordered 10,000, but only 11 fans showed up at the airport.) Will consider trade for draft picks. Call Jim or Bill at Lucas Oil Stadium.
HELP WANTED: Tradition-rich college basketball team, playing biggest rival, desperately seeks outside shooters. Freshmen are OK. MUST PLAY DEFENSE! Call Roy at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, N.C.
IDENTITY THEFT! Attention -- a man in the Orlando area was recently spotted impersonating Vince Carter, circa 2004. The fraud wore Carter's uniform and looked just like him, but tipped his hand by scoring 48 points against the Hornets. Please call the Orlando police with any information.
EQUIPMENT WANTED: College basketball team, former No. 1, needs parachute to stop free fall into the NIT, save job. Burnt orange preferred, not a must. Call R. Barnes in Austin, Texas.
NEED TO BUY: Snow. They say the Inuit peoples see dozens of different kinds of snow. We need them all now! For more info, please contact the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, ASAP.
The Indianapolis Colts had 11 fans waiting for them at the airport when they returned home from Miami. That's right: 11. No ",000" no "k". Just 11. Where were the rest of the team's fans and why didn't they show their support? It turns out the members of Colts Nation State Village had many different reasons for staying home. Here are a few:
• enjoying Indianapolis' famous shrimp cocktail?
• standing in line for tickets for the Indianapolis Indians -- proud Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates!
• still too distraught about that Week 16 loss to the Jets.
• airport runway wasn't domed.
• cornholing.
One of these dudes is the country's biggest cultural icon ... and the other is a mouse (and our boss).
While the folks of Main Street, USA, in Disney World certainly know how to throw a parade, there's something about Tuesday's parade in New Orleans that might just have a little more ... hmm ... shall we say joie de vivre to it.
While some people were surprised by the two-touchdown Saints victory over the Colts on Sunday, many were just as astonished at the game's television rating -- topping the 1983 finale of "M*A*S*H" to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history.
Page 2 believes there is more to this than meets the eye. Upon closer examination of Sunday's theatrics, we think the characters and storylines of Super Bowl XLIV nearly mirror those involved in "M*A*S*H." Thus, Page 2 presents the following "M*A*S*H"-up consisting of Super Bowl XLIV figures cast as iconic "M*A*S*H" characters.
Garrett Hartley as "Radar" O'Reilly
Like O'Reilly, the place-kicker for the Saints seems to have an extra sense about him. Hartley called his dad at 2:15 a.m. the morning before the NFC Championship Game reporting he had a vision of himself kicking the game-winning field goal. Well, we all know how that prediction turned out -- in fact, it was just as good as all three 40-plus-yard field goals Hartley nailed during the Super Bowl.
Father R. Tony Ricard (Saints chaplain)/Father Peter Gallagher (Colts chaplain) as Father Mulcahy
It appears that the man upstairs was partial to Father Ricard and the Saints, but check out this interesting piece on both team chaplains.
Peyton Manning as Frank Burns
Before heading to the battlefield, Burns apparently had a long apprenticeship under his father -- sound familiar? And guess where Burns honed his craft? In Indiana. Like Burns, Manning is a stickler for preparation and protocol, as evidenced by his no-nonsense Super Bowl week routine.
With another bowl officially in the books, it's time to move the chains down the page in the sporting phone book to bull. We caught up with defending Professional Bull Riders circuit world champion Kody Lostroh to try and figure out just why mamas shouldn't let their babies to grow up to be like him. Grab a spot by the campfire, cowboy, and wise up on the sport whose season is just heating up. Rule No. 1: Don't squat with your spurs on.
Page 2: I once had a few wild go-rounds on a mechanical bull in a New Orleans bar -- Bourbon Cowboy -- so I want you to know that I already have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to be a rodeo champ.
Kody Lostroh: Mechanical bulls are just bar amusement rides, really. They might look like the real thing but they don't compare a dang bit.
Really? I'm telling you this one on Bourbon Street is legit. I was pretty sore the next day, so I can only imagine the beating you take from the real thing.
Yeah, our pain tolerance is probably higher than the average, but we've been doing this our whole lives, so we're used to living a little banged up. Actually, it's only when you take some time off that you realize how good your body feels when it's not sore. You kind of get used to it.