Many of you may be familiar with Reggie Theus.  OK, some of you may know him.  After spotting him at a local IHOP recently, I tried to point him out to my brother.  My brother simply looked at him and said, "Reggie who?".

Hopefully, the rest of you know coach Theus.   Reggie Theus played in the NBA for 14 years, and was a 2 time All-Star with the Chicago Bulls.  So you don't remember the early 80's.  Well, maybe you remember him from TV as an NBA analyst a few years ago.  Still don't remember?  Perhaps you remember Theus patrolling the sidelines with Rick Pitino in Louisville.  Still nothing?  How about his brief stint on a Saturday morning sitcom?  OK, OK...I'll stop.

Whether you know him or not...you probably don't know what he's up to now.  In my opinion, he's facing his toughest job yet...trying to turn around the basketball program known as the New Mexico State Aggies.

Unless you've been looking through a list of the worst college programs in recent history, you're probably not too familiar with New Mexico State (NMSU) either.  Just last season, the Aggies finished with a record of 6-24...hardly national news.  However, the NMSU Aggies used to be good.  Really.  In the 90's, the Aggies played in 5 straight NCAA tournaments.  That may not much at Chapel Hill, but deep in the heart of New Mexico...that's a big deal.

The NMSU Aggies last appeared in the big dance in 1999.  They haven't returned since, or even been close.  Call me an optimist, but I think Theus is going to change that trend.

Since signing a 5 year contract earlier in the year, Theus has been hard at work.  This summer he recruited 6 players, which included 4 transfers.  In June, he was named as one of the top 25 recruiters by Rivals.com.

This season, the Aggies have only a modest 3-5 record.  However, one of the wins came against in-state rival New Mexico Lobos.  Though they have yet to begin conference play, it is evident that this team is already an improvement from last season.  They need only 3 more wins to match last season's total, which should be a mere formality.

Though NMSU may not see huge results this year, Theus has laid the ground work to turn this program around.  NMSU has not been on the national radar for several years, but Aggie fans have hope for the first time in a long while.

2 things to watch out for in the near future:  NMSU Basketball, and Reggie Theus.

      He tried to stay out of the news (yeah right), but Terrell Owens once again makes headlines by throwing a birthday bash for the ages...

T.O. celebrated his 32nd birthday by hosting a birthday bash on Monday Night at rapper Jay-Z's 40-40 club.  His guest list was quite impressive, which included Hollywood stars such as Jamie Foxx and Will Smith.  Also on the list was T.O.'s newest outspoken advocate, Rev. Jesse Jackson.

As part of his "entertainment", T.O. had foxy females sporting no. 81 jerseys with a question mark where the team name should be.  Even so, T.O. stated later that he was still a Philadelphia Eagle...and that he loved Philly, and his teammates.  Several Philadelphia "teammates" were at the party, including Jevon Kearse and L.J. Smith.  T.O. allegedly invited Donovan McNabb, who did not attend.  What a surprise?

It may also be worth mentioning that former Dallas Cowboy star Michael Irvin was in attendance, and even led the party-goers in singing Happy Birthday for the star receiver.

So this is more of what we've come to expect from Terrell Owens.  A person that loves the spotlight so much that he can't stay away from it...even though he's a football player who hasn't been on a field in months.  A fellow blogger suggested that T.O. has done his job this year...being that his main job is to entertain fans and grab headlines.  If that is indeed his only job, then mission accomplished.

I tend to think that this is just another shameless scheme to steal media attention.  At this time, it may actually be a good thing that he is drawing attention away from the Eagles' dismal season.  I'm sure Eagles fans would rather hear about this star-studded bash, rather than relive the agonizing overtime defeat to the Giants this past Sunday.

It is clear that T.O. still has his share of supporters, both in world of football and Hollywood (not to mention bloggers).  Perhaps next summer he will remember that he is a football player, which requires actually doing your job on the field.  Surely, but unfortunately, there will be an NFL owner willing to take a gamble on this "misunderstood" star receiver.  But to all NFL fans out there, just hope it doesn't happen in your hometown.

Keep struttin' T.O.  Your are doing a fine job.

 As the competition in the NFL begins to heat up, so is the competition for the "Next Great Sportswriter".

Then who is the great mystery writer that I speak of?

That would be "jbold1"...who labels all of his articles as "Bold1 Liners".  Quite a clever tag, which may be his best move to take the lead in this contest.  Let me break down this candidate, and tell you why he's a contender:

-  This guy has separated himself from the rest by creating a brand name (Bold1 Liners).  Readers will remember the name, remember the label, and remember the blogs.  The first rule of business is to differentiate yourself from the competition.  Score A+ for jbold1.

-  Now that he's got the brand name, the attention is on what he calls superior "content".  I've never been a fan of people bragging too much, but his writing is very sharp.  While most bloggers just put out a bunch of mindless opinions, jbold1 actually has something intelligent to say...and he writes it well.

-  Sports knowledge.  Check out the guy's predictions, and see how accurate he is.  And even if they aren't 100%, the most important part about predictions is the explanation and logic.  Results will vary, but having good sports logic is key to becoming a good writer.

So you may ask why I am praising a competitor in such a manner.  The reason is because I appreciate good writing.  Rather that get in your typical web forum trash talking contest, I thought it would be advantageous to recognize such talent...rather than condemn it.

I would hope that this competition rewards such intelligent writing, rather than 2 line blogs asking who is the hottest female in sports.  I was surprised to see very few comments on in-depth, intelligent articles...while several responses to short, general blogs.

I only have one small criticism of jbold1's blog.  Over-confidence.  If you read his blog, you can tell he doesn't suffer from a lack of confidence about his writing.  That may actually be a good thing, but I think the sports world already sees too much of that with guys like T.O. and Chad Johnson.  I believe that to be part of jbold1's strategy, but it just doesn't sit all that well with me.  On the other hand, he's probably right...

To NGS Judges, sports fans, and fellow bloggers:  Do yourself a favor and check out jbold1's blog.

With that out of the way, here are just a couple of my observations from week 14 in the NFL:

-  Detroit Lions are a young, undisciplined football team.  Shaun Rodgers' personal foul penalty in overtime was possibly the dumbest play in the NFL since Leon Lett was around.  Though I'm not a fan of his coaching style, the Lions desperately need a Bill Parcells type of guy to come in and whip these Lions into shape.

-  The Indianapolis Colts will win the Super Bowl.  Not exactly a bold prediction, but I've seen all I need to from the best team in the NFL.  Their offensive line is light years ahead of the competition, dominating in both the passing and running game.  They are athletic enough to run around and get extra blocks, which is one reason Edgerrin James is always a leading rusher.  If they had to play in snowy conditions against a team like the Steelers or Patriots, maybe they have a chance of losing.  But with homefield advantage, they will march their way to a championship.

-  The NFC is wide open.  There are too many close games going on, and surprises each and every week.  The Seahawks look like the best, but they definitely won't dominate like the Colts.  Look for some tough NFC match-ups during the playoffs, and probably some exciting finishes.

SUPER BOWL:     COLTS defeat BUCCANEERS

Write that down!!

Why are players so willing to switch teams just to have a quicker chance at a championship?  Miguel Tejada adds to the trend of the "superstar trade demand" that has been going on for several years.  I believe it was just last year that he commented in an interview about how badly he wanted to play everyday just so the Baltimore Orioles can win.  And now Miguel wants to abandon the ship because he doesn't think the O's can't win this year?  Give me a break.

But we can't put the blame squarely on Miguel Tejada.  This trend has been increasing in all sports for a while now.  Shaquille O'Neal demanded to get out of Orlando (remember him in a blue uniform?).  Terrell Owens wanted out of San Francisco...and Baltimore...and now Philly.  So how is a fan to cheer on their favorite player?  Not only does it make fans question their team loyalties, but buying so many different jerseys gets expensive (by the way, T.O. jerseys are now on discount).

Normally, die-hard fans develop a devotion to their team by watching a group of athletes play together for a number of years.  I imagine most Green Bay Packer fans can only picture Brett Favre as the quarterback.  Or that most Dallas Cowboy fans cringed at the sight of Emmitt Smith in a Cardinals uniform.  And say that you're a Roger Clemens fan...does that make you a fan of the Red Sox, the Blue Jays, the Yankees, or the Astros? 

Winning a championship should be hard.  It should take years of patience and effort.  How can a player look his teammate in the face after one of these "Tejada-like" trade demands?  It's an insult.  Tejada might as well have said, "I'm too good to play with you losers". 

So will it get better?  Nope.  Athletes like Terrell Owens and Miguel Tejada are rapidly chipping away at the traditional concept of "team" sports.  My advice to Miguel Tejada would be this.  "Don't insult the fans, don't insult your teammates by demanding a trade.  You're good, just play the game and help your team win."  Simple?  Yes.  Possible for selfish athletes to comprehend?  Not a chance.   

I must admit that all the trade action going on in Major League Baseball has my undivided attention.  The Mets are loading up with power, the Blue Jays are spending like crazy, and even small market teams are getting into the mix.  I don't believe baseball has ever seen an off-season frenzy such as this.

But does it really matter?

While most MLB teams are trying to load up on power hitting, the smart ones are those that focus on pitching.  And I don't mean by over paying for over-the-hill, aging, injury-prone pitchers.  I mean focusing on developing a solid pitching staff with a perfect combination of young talent and veteran leadership.  It worked for the White Sox.  And they didn't even have to spend as much money as the Yankees.

It looks like owners will continue to miss the most important fact of comprising a team..."Great pitching wins championships".  After all, did the Orioles or Yankees win it all last year?  Not even the Red Sox had a chance with all of their pitching woes.  Yep, the team with the best pitching staff took home the crown.

So I'll be watching the hot stove just as closely as all of you.  I don't even like the White Sox...I happen to be a Pirates fan.  It's fun to get caught up in all the trade rumors and speculation, but it won't really matter in the end.  Whatever team you cheer for...pray that they upgrade their pitching and those guys can stay healthy.  And then you just might be celebrating a World Series win next year...