Peja Stojakovic might be a great guy and a pretty good basketball player. But he is a terrible bowler — and is even worse as a man trying to back up a bold claim with a bold action. Behold:

He tells the assembled media they have to stay until he rolls a strike; on his next ball, he rolls it into the gutter. In fairness, as BLOG OF NEW ORLEANS notes, most of his shots weren’t that bad. And it was for a good cause. Read more…

Bethlehem Shoals of THE SPORTING BLOG examines and expands on our idea to have New Orleans host the NBA All-Star game every year:

I hereby offer a slight variation on Brooks’ idea: Why not make a point of putting the game in places that, like New Orleans, have tons of issues with crime, poverty, unemployment, and urban decay? Read more…

We’re in Vegas at the moment, the site of last year’s NBA All-Star game. If you want to get a head-shake or a mean-face, bring that up to a local today. If you don’t know of what we speak, welcome back to Earth. We missed you.

We expect things to go damn well in New Orleans this weekend. And talk about a stark contrast between burgs. If any city ever needed something like the NBA’s week-long celebration, it’s the languishing land of beignets. Vegas is the last place you will find the NBA’s current constellation of stars in the future. New Orleans is the first place the NBA should consider for a permanent home for the game. Read more…

COTTON BOWL TRYING TO SPIN WAY BACK INTO BCS CYCLE: Once a cherished post-season destination, the Cotton Bowl has become an afterthought in the days of the BCS. Now the bowl’s organizers want to be brought back into the big-money fold:

Brian Davis of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports how the Cotton Bowl Committee has been trumpeting their future move to the Cowboys’ new stadium in Arlington - hoping to grab the BCS’ attention with the better venue.

Chances for the Cotton Bowl to become part of the BCS depend on if the coalition wants to tweak their bowl formula yet again. Davis believes decisions will be made based on how well New Orleans organizers can handle both the Sugar Bowl and the BCS Championship within the same week.

Davis writes, “If Sugar Bowl officials fall on their faces, BCS commissioners may realize that a fifth game is necessary. If they execute two games in flawless fashion, the Cotton Bowl could be left on the sideline.”