Truthfully, I turned on the game briefly – just long enough to get a sense of Mike Tirico blase approach to commentating such an abomination of a football game, which was funny.

After that fleeting tune-in (don’t count me in the tune-in numbers, Nielsen folks), I watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox (1:20 movie; so, roughly an 1:18:56 more time invested than the game) and Big Love (Happy to see that the show is not going with the Ben’s Alt-Christian band storyline, but rather him mired in a good old fashion seduction with Margene).

Smokey & The Bandit was also on – if I hadn’t already seen it six times…

Anyone else catch anything good last night while they were skipping the game? Because unless your name is Tirico you probably watched something good while skipping the game – I’m sure Gruden checked out and had the engineer pipe Burt Reynolds and Sally Field on HBO Comedy into the booth on his monitor at the beginning of the third quarter.

Entourage could go off the air tomorrow without a whimper, and I wouldn’t be the least bit broken up about it. It used to be one of my favorite shows. A great antidote for a feeble mind on a Sunday (i.e. a show where no problem can’t be solved in under 8 minutes). Even the most lethargic of Lazy Sunday routines have an expiration date, I suppose. Now, we just watch Mad Men in the same state, and are left pondering every wacky thing that Peggy Olson does.

Where Entourage continues to thrive and excel however, is the end credits. I don’t mean that in a snide “thank god that 22 minute show is finally over, hyuck hyuck” sort of way. More specifically, the music the producers select for the fade to black – whether they put much thought into it or not – always delivers.

Check out my top-10 Entourage end hits below – including three gems from this current season – and let’s hope that, for the next 1-5 seasons that they prolong this show, HBO reverts to a format where you get to jam to the credits, see if the very brusque Bob Saget is making another filthy guest appearance, and then should you choose, opt-in to watch the actual episode.

The Doors – “Peace Frog” (Season One, Episode Six)

Outkast – “Da Art of Story Tellin’ (part 2)” (Season Five, Episode 63)

Muse – “Time Is Running Out” (Season Two, Episode Nine)

Ace Frehley – “New York Groove” (Season Four, Episode 52)

TV On The Radio – “Staring At The Sun” (Season three, Episode 33)

The Dutchess and The Duke – “Reservoir Park” (Season Six, Episode 72)

Yeasayer – “Sunrise” (Season Six, Episode 74)

Rolling Stones – “Tumbling Dice” (Season Three, Episode 36)

Funkadelic – “Can You Get To That” (Season Five, Episode 66)

The Buzzcocks – “Why Can’t I Touch It” (Season Five, Episode 68)

I love Chad. I love Chad for getting behind the Bengals being featured on HBO Hard Knocks when he easily could have gone the route of The T.O. Show on VH1. But, as he demonstrated in a radio interview with KGOW in Houston earlier this week, he’s not exactly a new media visionary. I took a few quotes out of context from his take on Twitter:

“You know, it’s funny – I like it… I have my own application coming out where people will be able to (drumroll, puhlease!!) interact and follow me.

Rebuff:

Either Chad’s a genius and he managed to convince somebody to create “his own application” based around the sole purpose of the original tool (and we’ll all be chadderring by 2010), or he just doesn’t know what Twitter actually does.

“…when the season starts, it’s going to get even worse. I’m going to really make it fun. I’m using Twitter during games, during halftime, after the games. I’m going to be taking it to the next level.”

Rebuff:

Read: I’m going to get fined a lot this season.

Chad ‘Ocho Cinco’ Johnson Ready To Just Play (Sports Radio Interviews)

Follow Chad Johnson on Twitter

Ricky Hatton laid there on the mat for a good three minutes looking like he was in another world on Saturday. And anyone with even a cursory knowledge of boxing (and the effects of a Manny Pacquiao uncontested left hook) knows that could be it for the Hitman.

What lies in store for Hatton remains to be seen, but according to The Guardian, it didn’t take long for Floyd Mayweather Sr. to find another Brit to take under his wing should Hatton retire. Chris Eubank Jr., whose senior is a former World Champion fighter, will reportedly start training under Mayweather at his Las Vegas-based gym.

“Let’s not dilly-dally with this, let’s get him to the right guy. I’m getting him to the right man,” said [Eubank Sr.] the former middleweight and super-middleweight world champion. “I’m sending him out there. I’ve watched this man [Mayweather], I’ve watched him train him. Christopher is no good to him without heart, he’s got fight, so now, what Floyd will do is teach him the tools.”

Eubank Sr. versus Joe Calzaghe

19-year old Eubank initially broke into boxing against his father’s wishes when he started training in 2006 in Las Vegas. In a short period of time, he’s amassed six amateur victories and recently won the title of Nevada Golden Gloves Champion at the 165 lbs. According to the Guardian, Eubank is in no rush to go pro and has a strong desire to compete for the UK at the London 2012 Olympics.

Check out Junior dishing out some punishment in one of his amateur fights.

(Additional info from Chris Eubank’s Wikipedia page)

Special bonus post today, because this is the coolest thing I’ve seen all week.

H/T to Nah Right for posting this first. Rapper Skillz recaps the five illustrious seasons of The Wire in a single five minute – 678 bars, approximate – verse. Hell yeah.

Unlike this guy, Natalie Gulbis doesn’t have five career hole-in-ones (she has two), but, to borrow a line from the incomparable Mitch Hedberg, she did “hit a guy.”

(via Fandome)

Gulbis showing her vindictive side with that whole, “five bucks if I hit him?” line. Hot.

Champions Tour wins Three-Tour Challenge (Times of the Internet)
TV On The Radio Visit Jay Leno (Stereogum)
BCS Doesn’t Suck For SEC, Big 12 (Moondog Sports)
Falcons thriving after extreme makeover (Fox Sports)
Anthony Kiedis’ rock memoir heading to HBO (via Pop Candy)
You’re With Me, Double-Breasted Suit (Mister Irrelevant)

I’m teetering on the verge of a morbid fascination of tonight’s impending trainwreck. Go here to get your Palin Bingo sheets for tonight’s debate!

The Knicks City Dancers did a photo shoot (EPIC CARNIVAL)
September Traffic Rankings For Sports Blogs (MOONDOG SPORTS)
HBO eyes series on U.S. exodus (SOUP)
‘The Office’: Jim’s Best Pranks! (via Pop Candy)
NFL Punchlines: Is T.O. Ruining His Relationship With Another Quarterback? (The Sports Point)

Those in the know I’m sure realized where the inspiration for my Toss the Burner posts originated from almost instantly.

Next Sunday brings us to the end of a yet another TV era when The Wire series finale airs.

I love this show so much. It’s the greatest show on concrete – underdeveloped, crack vile laden, animalistic concrete. It even moved me to read an NYT article about some Bush administration gobbledeegook this morning.

My prediction for the finale, the bad guys are going to win. Though who that means exactly depends on your perspective.

I’m not even going to throw out any sort of substantial prediction. One of the things I like about this show is that I’m always wrong. No scheme I ever cooked up for The Wire ever happened, ever.

The curveballs never cease to end with this show. For instance, HBO has been putting each episode On Demand a week early throughout the season. Yet, apparently they’re putting the kabbash on that for the Series Finale.