Around the sports world...

1. Ron Artest admitting he drank during the game as a Chicago Bull

"I used to drink Hennessy ... at halftime. I [kept it] in my locker. I'd just walk to the liquor store and get it."

No wonder the Bulls sucked so bad. Their best defender was liquored. How doesn't then head coach Tim Floyd not know about this. It wasn't like he was busy game-planing.

2. Notre Dame Athletic director Jack Swarbrick

"The unique circumstances surrounding our program at the current time prevent us from making the commitment required to compete in a bowl game."

What situation? That your embarrassed to be invited to a lesser bowl. That is the situation. It has nothing to do with firing your coach. Plenty of coaches have been let go after the season and still coached the team. The sad thing is that the players had a vote and the decision was still made that they will not accept an invite. As a player on the team how do you let that happen? As a senior how do you not want to play one more game. Most of you will never play football again. Have your egos been inflated that much simply because you attend Notre Dame? Do you feel entitled to something better? Oh wait, of course, this is Notre Dame I forgot... Do you know how many other schools would kill to go to any bowl game. It is a privilege to get to play in a bowl and it shouldn't be disrespected just because your not happy about what day of the year you will be playing it. I look at the Duke football team and they would do anything for the chance to play in any bowl. You probably won't find a team with a better attitude and better character than the Blue Devils. Too bad Duke can't take Notre Dame's place in a bowl. They certainly deserve it more simply because of their attitudes to the sport of football. They wouldn't turn down a chance to play one more game. Notre Dame shouldn't either.

3. Coach K responding to Doug Gottlieb calling Duke "alarming non-athletic"

"He should be an expert on alarming non-athletic. So I'll have to take a look at that a little bit closer because it comes from an expert who actually knows what it is like to be alarmingly non-athletic."

Great, great answer Coach. What does it say for the rest of college basketball if a top 10 team is alarming non-athletic.

My Favorite Month...

I'm back. The start of December, my favorite month has invigorated me. So I return with my top five favorite Christmas movies. Tis the season... Starting in reverse order #5....

5. Gremlins

I know what your saying, "this isn't a Christmas movie". But oh it is. The Mogwai, named Gizmo, is an early Christmas present for his son. Chaos ensues when the Mogwai touch water or eat after midnight, but the essential principles of the flick are the bonds of friendship and family. (Also Phoebe Cates delivers one of the greatest speeches in movie history when she describes why she hates Christmas. On the unintentional comedy scale it is a 10.

Fav. Line: "And that's how I found out there was no Santa Clause."

4. Die Hard

Once again not your usual Christmas movie, but still damn good. I proposed a theory years ago that if you give Bruce Willis a gun the movie will be good. Well, this movie he has a gun during a Christmas party... So it is freaking amazing.

Fav. Line: "Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho."

3. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the classic animated TV special, not the crappy Jim Carrey movie)

You can argue this is not a movie, but it is essential viewing for me during December. It maybe the perfect story to show the true meaning of Christmas. Great rhyming from the late Doctor and how can you not love the dog/reindeer. Good old fashioned holiday cheer

Fav. Line: "Maybe Christmas he thought doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

2. It's A Wonderful Life

This was tough. I was close to making this movie #1, but while I do love it and i do need to watch it before Christmas it still couldn't top my number 1. Maybe in a few more years it will, but right now it is #2. I first saw It's A Wonderful Life in high school during Mrs. Cheffo's English class. Immediately I could not believe I had not watched it before. It touches my heart every time I watch it and Jimmy Stewart gives an amazing performance as George Bailey.

Fav. Line: "What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That is a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary."

1. Christmas Vacation

Could anything else be #1. Cousin Eddie, Clark Griswald, family members yelling, angry neighbors, crazy squirrels, disgruntled employees, it has everything you want out a good Christmas and more and then it also has the heart to tie everything up in a perfect package. I don't know what any of what I just said means, but damn, its a great movie. It is the one that me and my family watched more than any other movie each holiday. We know all the lines and all the great moments, but yet we still watch and we still laugh. Maybe because it is so relatable to our holidays. Maybe that is why it is so good. Every time I would head out into the cold to hang Christmas lights with my dad I am reminded of the scene when Rusty has to unknot the giant ball of lights for his dad. I was Rusty. I had to untangle the lights.

Fav. Line: "Hey. If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, fore-fleshing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is. Hallelujah. Holy shit. Where's the Tylenol?"