Thought #1

The Winter Olympics have snuck up on us and officially begun. This of course means you will spend the next couple weeks sitting through Sports Center highlights of bizarre sports along with being slightly overwhelmed by the abundance of people you will see in tights.

The Olympics is the sports world's version of sushi. People always try to talk me into trying sushi and it always ends the same way, it sucks. Sushi is over priced and tastes like the fishing prier smells. (By the way, shouldn't something you don't cook be cheaper than something you do?) Sushi fan and Olympic fan have a lot in common though, they are always trying to convince non fans to get it another shot. Think about it. How many times has Olympic fan tried to convince you that curling is legit or that you should feel ashamed of yourself for hoping the figure skaters bite it at some point during their event? Just like sushi, we'll all give it a shot but in the end we'll end up ditching the raw fish for a chicken sandwich and flipping the channel over to a Fresh Prince rerun.

Thought #2

The NBA trade season has heated up and it appears that Amare Stoudemire is the hot chick everyone wants to take to the prom. It's been no secret that Cleveland is in hot pursuit of Amare, offering Zydrunas Ilgaugas and J.J. Hickson, which essentially means a young star and a bag of cash to the Suns since they will most likely waive big Z. So can the second go around for the Amare/Shaq relationship work out better than the first time? It didn't exactly produce a banner in Phoenix, but maybe with Lebron playing mediator it would work. Amare just better make sure he doesn't calling himself "The Big Aristotle," apparently Shaq is a little touchy when it comes to nicknames these days.

Other potential dates include Philly, who would give up Andre Igoudala for Amare and Miami, who really wants him but doesn't seem to have any bargaining chips.

While who ends up courting Amare to the big dance is unclear what is clear it that Phoenix is interested in finding a little cheaper date.

Thought #3

Looks like coach K isn't all that interested in going to New Jersey after all. Rumors swirled around the possibility that Krzyzewski might be interested in leaving Duke for the Nets earlier this week. You know this is kind of like a person trading in a really nice house in a decent town for a chance to live in a shack at the beach. Sure you can walk to the ocean but eventually you're going to get tried of not having a toilet that works and having to cover your windows in plastic to keep the winter drafts out. Plus, coach K acknowledged that a Russian billionaire isn't very likely to hire a Polish guy. Coach isn't dumb, he's seen Rocky IV. He doesn't want those guys following him and his team around in a black sedan as they work out.

Thought #4

The Daytona 500 was red flagged twice for a hole in the pavement. Are you telling me in a crowd of NASCAR fans that big there isn't a dude there who can patch some asphalt? Come on NASCAR, offer up a six pack and bucket of KFC to who ever can patch it and I guarantee it will be fixed in a half hour.

And by the way, did I hear this right, they haven't paved that track since 1978?!?! What the heck NASCAR. That's like the NFL neglecting to seed and fertilize the field in Miami before the Super Bowl. I mean seriously, 1978? They pave the road in my neighborhood at least once every two or three years. NASCAR can say that it was no one's fault but you have to think a fresh layer of pavement wouldn't have hurt. Pretty embarrassing Mr. France.

Congrats to Jamie McMurray. It's nice to see a good guy who got dumped on so much last year come out on top.