Rebecca Grant: Certainly NOT the Next Erin Andrews

By Paul M. Banks

One “hot topic” of discussion this NFL playoff season was the Verizon Football Zone Girl Rebecca Grant. (video available in full article page view) Although she seemed to disappear during Conference Championship weekend, we saw a lot of her the previous two weeks. And although she is attractive, Ms. Grant’s absence this week wasn’t really a bad thing.

So who is Rebecca Grant, other than a hot yet extremely plastic looking pitchwoman with a TERRIBLE vocal delivery on camera? According to Mahalo.com she’s a “glamor model and television host best known for her appearance in men’s magazines such as Maxim and FHM. She was also a host on the show Truck Stop and Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors.”

That site also lists her birthplace as Buffalo, New York and her birthdate in 1968. Yes, she’s 41! (Hey, the picture at the top is about ten years old, and it’s from one of those aforementioned Playboy wannabe magazines that have adversely impacted Playboy’s financial bottom line. But back to Rebecca Grant. She’s in her 40s?!?! I guess that would make her “Cougarlicious” then. Rar Rar Rar!

Because like Aaliyah once sang, “age it ain’t nothing but a number”. So the harsh chauvinists out there might say she’s more attractive because she looks really good “for a woman in her 40s”.  Well, you guys can have that debate elsewhere at another time. I’m going to stay above the fray on that one. But it is obvious that every time she appears on screen, her breasts are pushed up with the wonderbra of wonderbras. And she’s wearing so much makeup that a Wagner power painter was probably necessary for the applying of it.

Because of that newly revealed age, what I now see in those crappy Verizon spots is a woman who seems worse at her job than I previously thought  I would expect a 27-29 year old woman to maybe speak with a sorority girl/Lincoln Park Trixie accent and mind-numbing sentence inflection patterns. (And that’s a sad fact in itself, my expectations getting this low because no woman should speak in that Valley Girl/bubbly bimbo accent beyond college age. It’s “like totally immature, you know. like sooooooo lame to talk that way, who does that? oh my god!)

A woman in professional broadcasting is still talking like the “House Bunny,” and she’s into her 40s! What’s the world coming to?

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Michigan St. vs Northwestern Live Blog

By Paul M. Banks

So #25 Northwestern has their first ranking in 41 years, and loses to Illinois in overtime, but this is a chance for a statement game here. A win over #11 MSU and the Wildcats would likely keep their ranking.

This is a game of magnitude, why isn’t Erin Andrews here?

What can I say EA is lucious like Korie….I mean luscious…but like Korie Lucious. I don’t swing that way. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

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What’s the Next Step Up for Erin Andrews?

By Paul M. Banks

ESPN sideline princess Erin Andrews is a huge star in the internet and sports nerd worlds, but now she has the right card to play in order to make her star power more mainstream. And it’s not the “sex sells” card. To find out what new asset EA has going for her, read on after the jump.

“I’ve been embarrassed and my career has been ripped apart. I walk into a stadium and fans say obscene things to me,” those were the words of Andrews this week. She was present in a L.A. court to testify against the man who stalked her, Illinois insurance broker and creepy divorcee Michael David Barrett. He plead guilty Tuesday to one count of interstate stalking and admitted that he followed Andrews to three cities in 2008, drilled peepholes, installed tiny cameras, took vids of her undressed, and posted them on the Web attempting to make money off them. His sentencing is Feb. 22. He could do five years in the can, but his plea deal should bring it down to two.

EA told the court she has nightmares now because of being stalked. “I walk in crowds and I see him in my peripheral vision,” she said. “When I’m alone in my house, I have fears that he’s going to walk inside and hurt me. I don’t know him. I’ve never met him. I don’t know why he chose me. But I hope he never sees the light of day again.”

So where does she go from here? Now that this horrible ordeal is behind her? Onward and upward. That’s the American way! The best way to get ahead in the good ole U.S. of A. is to play the victim card. Almost everyone does it. Especially in politics, or in any other field that is overly reliant on star power or Q rating. The victim card can manifest itself as being a member of an ethnic group that was historically oppressed and discriminated against. It can be a card similar to Hillary Clinton’s (staying in a marriage even though the man messed around on you) or just about anything that gets frequently discussed on Oprah’s couch. Because the couch on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show has WAY MORE power in society than you or I realize. I even have a severe victim card to play, but I try not to. It’s closely tied to Lance Armstrong and his yellow wrist bands. Perhaps that’s why I never write about him.

But now that Andrews has our sympathies, she’ll be a much easier sell to go from the college sports world, to a NFL sideline gig or the biggest headline NBA games on ABC/ESPN.  I’m not saying it’s going to happen this year, but it’s going to happen soon. She says her career is destroyed, but I don’t but that line for a second. It may seem like her career has suffered a setback now, but that’s only temporary. In reality, it’s going to take off into the stratosphere soon.

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Erin Andrews Leads List of Decade’s Top Sideline Princesses

By Paul M. Banks

As the 2000s wrap up, it reminds us how it was a decade in which sports television media started prioritizing “hottie tokenism” in their hiring practices. Networks literally started hiring bikini models and beauty pageant winners to be reporters. The broadcasts didn’t stress eye candy in every new female on-air personality, but they did in many of them. Some of these “hotties” have done a serviceable job, but many fall short.

The new media landscape has also influenced the move towards stressing looks over talent, as all the names below are search engine gold. So many of these women emerged that the term “sideline princess” was coined somewhere along the way. The rankings below are not based on “hotness” or journalistic skills, but popularity. Of course, those first two factors often help determine that popularity.

So let the debates begin. For more on each sideline princess, click their name where highlighted.

1. Erin Andrews

Have you seen the XM satellite radio commercial mentioning how Elvis altered the course of music history, Michael Jordan revolutionized sports, Richard Pryor redefined comedy and Howard Stern changed the landscape of radio? EA is that person for female sports reporters. When we found out this year about her secretly being videotaped by some deranged pervert, her victimhood vaulted her already stratospheric star level up another notch.

2. Jill Arrington

The former Miami Hurricanes tennis player and Orange Bowl queen caused near hysteria when she first started appearing on screen in tight black pants, and polo shirts clinging to her skin. Arrington won the first ever America’s sexiest sports caster poll hosted by playboy in 2001Playboy. Last year, EA took the crown.

3. Melissa Stark

Yes, she’s disappeared from view in recent years; which is more an indictment of NBC Sports than it is her. However, she was on Monday Night Football for three years, granting her a top 5 slot. She’s also married with child to a Goldman Sachs employee, which means I regret even placing her on this list.

4. Charissa Thompson

Charissa is much more well known (especially for her pants, which are so tight they’re practically under her skin) in the Midwest than overall nationally. However, her NFL on Fox sideline gigs have brought more national exposure recently. I would say the same about her NHL on Versus work, but the NHL comes about sixth or seventh (behind NASCAR and slightly ahead of MMA) in the sporting landscape these days and about six whole people in this country have Versus in their cable package.

5. Trenni Kusnierek

Are former Sports Bank contributors truly eligible for this list? Yes, especially when they REALLY know their baseball and have moved on to bigger and better gigs like MLB Network. This list is highly subjective and arbitrary to begin with. And since her move to New York, Trenni’s mass appeal has grown by leaps and bounds.

6. Wendy Nix

Her boxy glasses that scream “naughty librarian” and Kathleen-Turner-in-her-prime style voice make her the overall favorite to a special niche audience of sports geeks. Thanks to sidelinehotties.com for the photo above.

7. Bonnie Bernstein

One of the most beautiful, talented and professional reporters on this list. We didn’t really believe the rumors that she hooked up with Bill Belichick, did we?

8. Jillian Barberie Reynolds

The Fox NFL weather girl is in “Cougartown” (age wise) these days, but she was certainly helped redefine the “genre” at the beginning of this decade.  She was blogged about extensively this summer for saying Erin Andrews was “hot,” and she’s also currently a star of a reality series entitled “House Husbands”.   

9. Lindsay Soto

Some of you may be like, “who?” but when a NHL player checks out your rack on live television (see video below), you’ll “earn” a lot of internet popularity and grab a spot on this list.

10. Jenn Brown

Really on this list only for the Twitter and search engine hysteria she caused this fall, but her insane following on the internet is so huge, the bikini model could very well be the next Erin Andrews. People throw that term around a lot, but in her case it’s likely true. Given that Florida was the unquestioned “Jock University of the decade,” it’s fitting that two former Gators bookend this list.

Just missed:

-Jenn Sterger: Maybe she’ll make next decade’s list, now that she’s removed her breast implants? Maybe not.

-Alex Flanagan/Krista Voda: remember this is a decade list, not a 2007-present list

-The girl on Big Ten Network who just graduated from Penn State and always dresses sleazy on air

Honorable Mention:

Ashley Russell, Hazel Mae, Michelle Beadle, Lisa Guerrero, Stacey Dales, Pam Oliver, Lisa Cornwell, Elizabeth Moreau, Rebecca Grant, and of course the nominees for 2009’s poll which haven’t been mentioned yet.

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Video Exclusive Illini Mike Tisdale Interview

Interview by Paul M. Banks and Paul Schmidt, write-up by PMB

When it comes to the NBA Draft, any 7 footer with average-or- better athleticism is a bonafide prospect. Illinois junior Center Mike Tisdale (7’1”, 235) is certainly on the radar screen of NBA GMs for 2011, if not 2010. An honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by coaches and media, he was one of the league’s most improved players, finishing fourth in the Big Ten in field goal shooting and second in the league in conference play FG percentage. He was the team leader in blocked shots, ranking fifth in the Big Ten.
He doesn’t do all his work inside either, as he possess very nice form on his jump shot.

In a sound trashing of the Michigan Wolverines last winter, Tisdale stepped out and knocked down a couple big treys, prompting opposing coach John Beilien to tell the media: “I didn’t know he could do that. I didn’t know he could Pittsnogle us.” Beilien was referring to the former West Virginia University icon he once coached Kevin Pittsnogle who (according to a New York Times feature last March) is now well over 300 pounds, out of basketball and lives in a double-wide.

Tisdale is also well known for the overly publicized 6,000 calorie a day diet that the program has put him on, in the hopes that he will gain some weight and become a bulkier post presence. When I look around in a room full of sports writers, I think they share his diet. If Tisdale gets big enough to bump and grind with the big boys, he’ll obtain the consistency that he lacks now. Becoming more sure of himself would help too. We discussed his confidence, whether he would just rather have a salad sometimes and much more in this video below

Last season Tisdale was the team’s leading scorer in 11 games, more than any of his teammates. Over one five-game stretch, he averaged 19.0 points while shooting 58.8 percent. As of today, it looks like he’ll be a mid 2nd round pick in 2011, because his career arc (at this early stage at least) is reminiscent of former Illini big man Robert Archibald. He was never an actual star, but was solid enough to be drafted 31st overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002.

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• Illinois’ Jon Asamoah Talks Tough About the Season, His NFL Future

Illinois’ Jon Asamoah Talks Tough About the Season, His NFL Future

By Paul Schmidt

The University of Illinois has had a challenging season. Everyone knows about the copious amount of talent on offense, but what might actually surprise some is that the top rated player, by position, by ESPN’s NFL draft guru Mel Kiper isn’t Arrelious Benn – it is offensive guard Jon Asamoah.

Asamoah has been a three year starter for the team, and in fact started his career as a freshman, logging playing time during the 2006 campaign. With that level of experience, and that many games under his belt, Asamoah is viewed as one of the anchors of a strong offensive line.

Thus far this season, the disappointments have far outweighed the successes, and it is starting to wear on everyone, not just the offensive line.

“Offensively we’ve got to get it going consistently,” Asamoah said. “We’ve had those drives where we were moving the ball and moving the ball and moving the ball, and we’ve got to keep that going the whole game.”

Not to beat too much coach-speak into the ground, but it’s the little things that would help turn things around.“Individually, no one is perfect out there. We just have to play at a higher level. The Rose Bowl year, we were just out there playing as hard as we could. We’re still doing that, but just not executing.”

For an offensive line, Juice Williams presents an interesting problem as a quarterback.  He’s very mobile and likes to move around in the pocket, as well as creating his own magic with his feet, which makes things interesting for the lineman assigned to protect him.

“I’m out there and sometimes I get so focused, I’m blocking my guy and I have to say to myself, ‘Wait, where is he going,’” Asamoah said as he chuckled. “Then I think to myself that I really don’t really know what’s happening.”

The same problem doesn’t exist every time Williams drops back to throw, however. When forming the pocket, Asamoah knows that every moment that can be spared for his quarterback gives him a little bit longer to make the correct read.

“The way the game goes, you’ve got to get out there in that pass mode. We scout the D-Lines so much, so we know what they are doing,” said Asamoah. “We go out there and fight against that as long as we can to give Juice every second that we can to throw. With all the great players that we have out there, we know they are going to make plays.”

And even though they haven’t always made those plays this season, it is that type of intensity that helps carry a warrior like Asamoah through every down of the game.

“I wish I could block every guy out there, but honestly, it’s not really like that, once you’re really in the game,” Asamoah stated. “I’m focused on my guy, and then I trust that my other four guys out there are going to get the job done.”

That all goes back to one of the most important factors in determining the success of an offensive line: Continuity.  Quite simply, the more an offensive line plays together, the better they will be.Though the Illini have some youngsters on the line, it is Asamoah and other upperclassmen’s leadership that have really held things together for the unit and the entire offense.

“It’s so important, because I feel so comfortable in between (junior Ryan) Palmer and (senior Eric) Block, we talk out there and we only have to say a couple of words to each other and we know what’s going on,” Asamoah said. “The young guys that come in, like Corey Lewis, I feel just as comfortable with them, because he’s learned over his time here. Without that kind of continuity on the O-Line, you’re just not going to be a good group.”

One thing that he and the rest of the Illini have placed emphasis on is staying positive and putting the bad things behind them – And it’s that type of attitude that finally may have paid some dividends this past weekend with their victory over Michigan.

“It’s hard, it’s hard to lose. Things haven’t gone the way that we wanted them to, but there’s a fight tomorrow, and we don’t let a team beat us twice,” Asamoah said. “You just have to refocus,” Asamoah continued. “You look at the film and see there were some really good things from this game or that game, but in order to do this consistently, you have to go out there, play balls-to-the-wall on every play.  We’re capable of it – We just haven’t been doing it.”

All of that leads to the question of Asamoah’s future, a question that was posed to him after one of the team’s many losses this season. To his credit, he wasn’t thinking about anything other than finishing the year as strong as possible.

“You know, who knows what will happen? I could go out tomorrow, slip on something and break my leg. I’m not worried about any of that,” Asamoah said. “All of that will come later. Right now, I’m just doing my job, playing as hard as I can. All of that stuff will come after the season. The feeling I have in my gut right now, this sick feeling…I’m not worried about any of that other stuff right now.”

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Pierre Thomas is Just Plain Better than Reggie Bush

By Paul M. Banks

Among Saints RBs, the un-drafted free agent is playing vastly superior to 2006’s #2 overall pick.

The New Orleans Saints offense has been RIDONKOLOUS this season, averaging a NFL best 40 points per game. The next closest team is the Indianapolis Colts and they’re a whopping ten points per game behind. The Saints offense is also naturally number one in yardage, and they rank 6th in passing. Drew Brees and his high powered air attack often come to mind first, but it’s actually the ground game where the Saints are truly heavenly: New Orleans is currently 3rd in rushing. And the backfield’s big star is the highly touted Heisman trophy winner with the flashy reality star girlfriend, right?

WRONG! It’s his “back-up,” the undrafted afterthought from the south suburbs of Chicago that no one thought would even make the team.

Take a look at Pierre Thomas’s numbers this season: 56 carries, 314 yards, 5.6 yards per carry average, 3 TDs. Now take a look at Bush’s: 45 carries, 175 yards, 3.9 ypc, and 1 TD. Bush is listed as the starter, but Thomas is (deservedly) getting more work. Well, you might argue that Bush’s strength is pass-catching, but Thomas has him beat there too with a better yards per catch on both the season and in career averages.

Also, take a look at career rushing numbers. Thomas- 237, 1191, 13, 5.0 yards per attempt, Bush- 463, 1725, 15, 3.7. Since they’re running behind the exact same offensive line, I think we know who should truly be “starting”.

Is it any wonder Reggie Bush is much more known for his reality “star,” famous-for-doing-absolutely-nothing-of-value girlfriend Kim Kardashian than he is for his game?

Aside from having one good pass catching year (his rookie season of ’06), he’s done next to nothing in the NFL, but still has a $12 million a year contract. Because of those facts, you could say he’s been a bigger bust than…insert your own joke about his insipid celebutante significant other here. And perhaps motivation is the problem with Bush. He already has the money and the women, so maybe he doesn’t care about working hard to obtain anything else?

The journey from college to the NFL could not have been more different for NOLA’s two tailbacks. Bush came in with more hype than a summer event movie, and emerged from the nation’s most dominant program, USC. Although picked 2nd, he was expected to be #1 overall while Pierre Thomas went undrafted out of Illinois, a program which has been among the worst in all of FBS for most of this decade. Look no further than the 2008 Rose Bowl, where USC slaughtered Illinois 49-17, to figure out who had the pub working for them in their college days. In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that Thomas attended the same alma mater as this author, and grew up pretty close to where I did. He prepped at Thornton Fractional South, a rival SICA Conference school in Lansing, IL. So I know his roots well.

And Thomas’ humble beginnings are probably a big part of his desire to succeed, and that drive is making him a much more productive player than the “can’t miss” prospect.  Thomas’ 5.6 ypc is 6th in the NFL, his former Illini teammate Rashard Mendenhall is 7th at 5.4. Very ironic; a program which has been the worst in the Big Ten much of this decade has produced two of the NFL’s top runners this season.

When the Saints take on Atlanta Monday night (Notice I did not use the “when the Saints march in” expression, I didn’t want to torture you by repeating one of the most shopworn phrases incessantly spewed by the laziest of journalist hacks) it will be Thomas, not Bush who sets the pace on offense.

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Illini Win??!!?? Yes, You Read That Right!

By Paul Schmidt

There’s no one anywhere who predicted an Illinois win Saturday against Michigan.  I’m about the biggest Illinois apologist that there is, and even I was urging you to bet against the Illini, and to lay 7 points while doing it!

After a short amount of time, however, the glow of a great victory has waned and left two very poignant questions to be asked.

The first is whether this was a victory from an Illinois team finally playing up to expectations, or whether this victory can completely be attributed to the wheels falling off of this Michigan teams’ wagon.

The more that I think about the game, the more I really believe the latter to be true.  Michigan’s defense is starting to play ridiculously bad.  It’s almost getting comical at just how bad they are playing.

The Wolverines are doing whatever the opposite of peaking is, winning only one game in their last five, with that win being against FCS opponent Delaware State. With NCAA investigators descending upon Ann Arbor, RichRod looking dirtier than Rod Blagojevich and a best-case scenario of six wins (with games remaining against Purdue, Wisconsin and Ohio State, winning one would be an accomplishment), Michigan is definitely in disarray.

Illinois just managed to take advantage of that.

The second question is much more accusatory towards the Illini — Just where was this type of offensive production all season?? I understand that Michigan’s D isn’t that good, and that Illinois just managed to take advantage of it. But 55 rushes for 377 yards? Illinois didn’t even manage that production against Illinois State earlier this season, in their only other win. That type of production has little to do with the quality of your opponent — You’re just getting the job done up front and mangling a team when you get that many yards. And even if Michigan’s defense (along with coordinator Greg Robinson) is terrible, Illinois still was great on offense, just like everyone thought they would be all season long.

So why now? Why, when they are 1-6, and 0-5 in the Big Ten, can Illinois suddenly move the football?  Why is the offense NOW able to create some opportunities? Why did it take so long for this team to finally get motivated and put up the effort which we all knew they were capable of?

Unfortunately, those are all questions that only Ron Zook has the answer to, and no doubt he’s not giving anyone the answers.

And therein lies the ultimate problem.

This team would have almost been better off playing horribly the rest of the season — this win only provides a ridiculous tease to an increasingly more disenchanted fan base.  While they were certainly placated during the second half, and most likely after the game as well, soon all of their minds will turn to these questions, namely, just where was all this effort all season long?

If Zook can’t figure out what worked this week, and how to consistently squeeze this type of effort out of his team, remarkably, the win may end up reflecting worse on him than any loss would have.

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Links, Contests and Other stuff

By Paul M. Banks

-We recently conducted a poll asking Who’s the Hottest Big Ten Network reporter? and the final results are as follows:

Melanie Collins (pictured above) 52%

Charissa Thompson (pictured later in this post) 25%

Elizabeth Moreau and Lisa Cornwell 8% a piece,

NCAA record holder (most rushing touchdowns in a single game) Howard Griffith finished with 7%.

Thank you to all who voted. I’m pretty sure, we’re the only publication ever to hold this contest. And since Collins won in a runaway margin, it was obviously NOT a who is the BEST Big Ten Network broadcaster award.

-We just received a shipment of cool Chicago sports keychains from Wholesalekeychain.com to give away to our site visitors. They are officially licensed and heavy duty. One of the keychains even has a built on bottle opener which will come in handy for Bears tailgating and Halloween parties this season!

They have many different styles on their site with prices to fit any budget. Be sure to use the promo code “sportsbank” when ordering and you’ll receive 10% off!

-Erin Andrews link of the week

This comes from our friends at Spread Far the Fame, a Northwestern football blog. It’s a petition to Bring Erin Andrews to Ryan Field on Saturday as it is Purplepalooza. The event, being dubbed the “Biggest Halloween Party of the Year,” begins at 1:30 p.m. with trick or treating in Wildcat Alley with NU student-athletes. Fans, who are being asked to wear purple, will be treated to a fireworks show immediately at the game’s (Northwestern takes on #12 Penn State) conclusion.

A limited number of half-priced tickets are available through Wednesday, Oct. 28, for Chicagoland fans. To receive the discounted tickets, fans can use the promo code NUSEL on NUsports.com. Cash prizes (provided by Harris Bank) for the best purple costumes also will be distributed. Also, if NU goes over the 5,000-fan mark on its Facebook page (Northwestern Athletics) by the end of the week, former All-America running back Darnell Autry will paint himself purple.

-NU is coming off the greatest comeback in school history. The Wildcats pulled out a thrilling 29-28 homecoming victory over Indiana on Saturday after trailing 28-3 midway through the second quarter. A 19-yard field goal from place-kicker Stefan Demos with 21 seconds remaining capped the comeback, which eclipsed 21-point comebacks vs. Minnesota (in both 2000 and 2007)—the previous top turnarounds in school history. For more see our friends at Sippin’ on Purple. And check out his site’s kick ass slogan.

Sipping on Purple also gave me my compliment of the week- Paul Banks, who, unlike me, is, like, an actual journalist and stuff, has some legit posts up. Read more SOP here.

-Best Viral story of the week- the following passage comes from The Big Lead

Steve Phillips, the ESPN baseball analyst, had a brief affair with 22-year-old production assistant Brooke Hundley this summer before she went Fatal Attraction on him, contacting his wife and kids according to police. Phillips, a notorious cad who cheated on his wife – who is now divorcing him – while he was general manager of the New York Mets, has been suspended a week by ESPN because of the scandal.

-You’ll notice I didn’t discuss what Brooke looks like, or the fact that Phillips would risk his marriage for a slumpbuster, or anything about ESPN personalities and their history of sexual malfeasance on a level of epidemic proportions- because I don’t go after easy targets!

-TBL also told us about this absolutely, positively the most important sports-related Political Action Committee in America right now, a PAC looking to institute a playoff in college football. Seriously, the whole bowl bowl system vs. playoff debate is exactly like the health care debate: a few rich and evil douchebags want things to stay exactly the way they are, even though it’s clearly broken, and only a few elites benefit from the current state of affairs. And polls show that 3/4 of the population wants reform in both situations!!!

Over 50 million people don’t have health insurance, and over 50% of the FBS teams reach a postseason game- CHANGE is needed NOW in both dire situations.

-People who don’t want a college football playoff will probably be the #1 seed in my douchebracket this March. Take a look at all the college football polls now, we could easily have 4 undefeated FBS teams, and as many as 6 come playoff time. The Chicago Tribune/Big Ten Network’s Teddy Greenstein comes the closest to making an argument for keeping the status quo (I’ll let you google that one yourselves), but even his ideas are laughably wrong and horribly awful on multiple levels and in multiple instances.

-This week’s personal moment of sports glory:

Last Monday, while covering Bulls practice at the Berto Center in Deerfield, a stray ball made its way to the baseline where I was waiting with the other journos, and I was called upon to throw an inbound pass to Derrick Byars. It was beautiful, and I hope YouTubed somewhere. Now I just hope he makes the team, so I can sound much cooler

-The “Did you know” fact of the week

The Chicago Blackhawks have more followers on twitter than any NHL team. They’re 3rd in Facebook fans behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. And Adam Burish is my Facebook friend, just in case you were dying to know that.

Thanks to Spike.com’s blog, who gave us a list of the Most annoying sports fans, I seriously thought the Boston Red Sox would be number one, but instead it’s the Chicago Cubs…can’t say I disagree! I also support their #2 choice, the Ohio State Buckeyes! So proud to see some Midwest representation at the top.

-The Office and Deron Williams….talk about combining two of my favorite things in this world, how could this not be my favorite advertisement of the week?

From KSL.com

“I got the crap beat out of me in Provo one time.” That was Dwight Schrute driving Deron Williams in a cab.

Better yet, it was actor Rainn Wilson playing a mustached, mullet-ed, 1977 horn-rimmed glasses wearing cabbie in a new NBA promo.The All-NBA Jazz point guard recently flew to Los Angeles for a few hours to shoot the promo with the love-to-hate Wilson as part of the NBA on TNT promotion.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

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Who knows The Sports Bank better? Championship Faceoff

By Rikki Greenberg

I’ve known Banks for a little over 2 years now and it’s has been quite the experience. We’ve sat together at press conferences and basketball games and mingled with fellow NBC street teamers at various clubs/bars in the city.

With all this time put in, I think I know a great deal about Mr. Banks, but when it came time to decide the “Who knows Banks better?” Championship Faceoff, I thought of two people who are special in his life.

Let’s meet the contestants.

First we have Lisa, Paul’s long time girlfriend. They have been dating for close to a year and lived together for much of that time, so Lisa should have an edge with ample time spent in close proximity to Banks.

Let’s give a big round of applause for the second contestant, Soxman. He and Banks have an undeniable bromance that has blossomed since they met in 2007.

So who is it going to be? The best friend or the significant other?

Let’s find out!

1. First thing Banks does in the morning…

Soxman: Checks the number of hits the sportsbank had over night and the comments his story received.

Lisa:  This is a toss up depending on the day. Checks his email comes to mind, but so does drinking caffeine (coffee, red bull, or the like), grunting at me for waking him up, or going poop. Pretty much sums up his morning ritual.

What does Banks really do?
I go online, check/update the site/email, etc.

And the Winner is…
Soxman

2. Best interview with a celebrity/athlete/politician…

Soxman:  Soxman of course.  Just kidding.  The best write-up of an interview Banks did was with former Philadelphia Eagle Vince Papale, who won an NFL roster spot through an open audition the team once held. He would likely answer Steve Stone or one of his United Nations Environmentalist peeps.

Lisa: Juice Williams, Howard Zinn, or Dan Bernstein

Who really was Banks best interview?
Ozzie Guillen

And the winner is…
Nobody

3. Athlete/celebrity/politician Banks was most impressed by…

Soxman: Bill Belichick, Al Gore, Erin Andrews and Elizabeth Banks

Lisa:  Paul is so fickle. This one is hard. It changes daily. I would guess Natalie Maines, Tara Reid, or Michael Moore.

Who was Banks really impressed by?
Ask me again next week, I’ll probably have a different answer, so “next question” as Bill. Belichick would say

And the winner is…
Lisa, although we should give Soxman at least half a pt. there.

4. Favorite television show…

Soxman: Lost
Lisa: Family Guy, Bill Maher, the Simpsons, Big 10 College Gameday

What really is Bank’s favorite television show?
Family Guy

And the winner is…
Lisa!

5. Brand of toothpaste Banks brushes with…

Soxman: Whatever he could get at the dollar store.
Lisa: Crest – or whatever I buy for him when he’s out

Which brand really captures Banks attention in the morning?
Anything Whitening

And the winner is…
Lisa!

6. If Banks wasn’t a web content creator/manager he would be….

Soxman: An environmental lobbyist

Lisa: A house husband. J/K. He’s tried a lot of stuff, but I think he’d get an office job or be a teacher. He’d be a really good teacher.

What would Banks really be doing?
Small Business Owner

And the winner is…
Nobody ?

7. Banks biggest pet peeve…

Soxman: PR departments that don’t know the “relations” part of the job.

Lisa: Traffic, driving, incompetence, stupidity

What really gets Banks annoyed?
The horrible Chicago traffic, the fact that I can’t go on I-55 to hometown unless its at hours other 2-8pm, because soutbbound traffic is ALWAYS RIDICULOUSLY BAD

And the winner is…
Lisa

8. Weirdest habit…

Soxman: Always referring to himself as Paul “M” Banks
Lisa:  Paul loves to pull on his shirts. It stretches out the necks and it really bugs me.

What really is Banks weirdest habit?
Running the hair dryer over my body to get warm before I go to sleep. I think it works to  relax myself. I learned the process from my Dad, who referred to it as “going to Florida.”

And the winner is…
Nobody ? Oy gavult! You guys are killing me over here!

9. Song he most frequently quotes lines from:

Soxman: Anything from Kanye West…although maybe not so much anymore.

Lisa: This one is hard, he doesn’t really quote songs. Movies, literature, Family Guy…those are all in his wheel house. I am going to venture a guess, it would be some rap/hip hop lyric about getting ass and being bling or something from Smashing Pumpkins or Blur.

Which song is it really?
Something hip-hop or DMB.

And the winner is…
Tie! Extra point to Lisa for being extra specific.

10. Team he is the biggest supporter of…

Soxman: Chicago White Sox and New England Patriots.

Lisa: This is another one of those that it really depends on the day. He’s passionate and abundant with his love and hatred of teams. Among his top 5: Illinois, Northwestern, Blackhawks, the Bulls, and the White Sox. At least he’s got passion.

Which team really sends Paul’s heart racing?
Illinois

And the winner is…
Lisa!

THE GRAND CHAMPION OF “WHO KNOWS BANKS BETTER” IS…

LISA! (7-2.5)

Sorry Soxman. It looks like you’re going to have spend some more quality time with your bromance partner Mr. Paul M Banks.

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