Tim's Two Cents-January 15

What I'll Be Watching This Weekend.  In an effort to do something different today, here's what I'll be watching this upcoming weekend in sports.

NFL Divisional Playoffs.  Another great weekend of playoff action is almost upon us. 

Will the Cowboys continue their recent hot streak against the Minnesota Vikings?  I certainly hope so if for no other reason than to see Brett Favre lose again.  If that happens, Favre will start crying like the prima donna that he is.  By this time next Monday, I hope Brett Favre is back in Mississippi where he belongs.

Will the Colts take advantage of home field or will rust kick in?  My gut feeling right now is the latter.  History over the last few years has shown that the Colts have had little success as the top team in the postseason.  Peyton Manning, the talented quarterback that he is, has only one Super Bowl victory in his career so far.  He is the face of the Colts.  One could argue that without Peyton Manning, the Colts would not be the good team that they are.  I'll go with the upset and the Ravens because rust will be a big factor for the Colts as usual.

Will the Saints have a party in the Big Easy?  This is a tough one that I think could go either way.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Saints offense breaks out in front the home crowd.  As for their opponent, the Cardinals.  We saw what they're capable of last week against Green Bay.  This one's a coin flip.  I'll go with the upset pick once again and the Cardinals just to mess everything up and make things more interesting.

As for the Chargers and Jets, let's keep it simple and sweet.  The Chargers will continue their late season surge and I think they will host the AFC Championship game next week against the Ravens.  

Australian Open in Melbourne.  You probably wouldn't think of me as a tennis fan at first glance, but I am.  The Australian Open, which starts on Sunday, marks the beginning of the new year in tennis as it is the first grand slam event.  As usual Roger Federer enters the tournament as the number one seed on the men's side.  Barring an unforseen turn of events, it will be another Federer-Nadal final in two weeks time.  If history is any indication, it should be epic if it were to happen.   

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Steve Collis under CC-BY 2.0 License