Tiki Barber plans to retire after the season at age 31. Bobby Knight is signing a contract extention that will make him coach at Texas Tech through 2012, when he'll be 71. Is it better to go out on top of your game, or when you're so old you need assistance to throw that chair across the court? Buried in the Bobby Knight story is the fact that his son, Pat, the associate head coach, has already been tabbed to succeed pop at Texas Tech. So you know Bobby signed the extention merely for spite.

I'm a Yankee fan, but still sad to see the Mets lose. Willie Randolph was one of my favorite all-time Yankees. I also like Jose Reyes, who is probably the most amazing minor league player I've ever seen. When Jose was with Double-A Binghamton, he came to Yale Field and created complete havoc during one four-game series back in 2002. I even held onto my scorebook from those games because it was so memorable. His stats from the four games: 11-for-17 (.647) with three doubles, three triples, four RBIs and five stolen bases. He scored from first base on a single for the winning run in the eighth one night. He won the next game in the ninth by bunting for a single, stealing second, stealing third and scoring when the catcher, so nervous because he knew what Reyes was going to do you could hear his teeth chattering, sailed the throw into the outfield. Reyes ran the bases like a gazelle. I've never seen an opposing team so afraid of a player so small, and this was a playoff-bound New Haven team that had Coco Crisp in center field and a handful of others playing small parts on major league rosters now.


Shocker. I went 6-6 last week to remain even for the year at 33-33-5. Detroit Tigers hater won the weekly competition at 8-4. One of these days, I'll run through the blog to compile season records for everyone. Anyone who loses to me has to wrestle my cousin Moze. Here are this week's picks:

Game 1: West Virginia (-23.5) over UCONN: Pat White may pass the 247 yards he put up last week.

Game 2: SYRACUSE (+17.5) over Louisville: Louisville doens't run well, and the 'Cuse defends the pass well enough to cover the spread.

Game 3: Rutgers (+6.5) over PITT: Is Rutgers for real? Here's the first big test.

Game 4: South Florida (-1) over CINCINNATI: Looking like my lock of the week.

And for the non-Big East games....

Game 5: Texas (-6) over NEBRASKA
Game6: Texas A&M (+3.5) over OKLAHOMA STATE
Game 7: Georgia Tech (+7.5) over CLEMSON
Game 8: NC State (+1.5) over Maryland
Game 9: Wisconsin (-7) over PURDUE
Game 10: MICHIGAN (-13.5) over Iowa
Game 11: Penn (-3.5) over YALE: Last time Yale beat Penn, Eric Johnson was playing wide receiver and Bill Clinton was still in office.

Get your picks in this week in the 'comments' section below.