It has been a busy week in the world of sports. Being a hard-working journalist, I thought that I would wrap it up for you…and spice it up with my own thoughts.\n• ABC and ESPN picked up NBA broadcasts beginning next season. Here's to hoping that they can clean up the mess left by NBC over the past couple of seasons. Ever since Michael Jordan left the Bulls, their broadcasts have been lackluster and less professional. Their work comes across as if they have given up without Jordan, and now that he's back, it is too late. If ESPN does as well with the NBA as it does with every other sport it covers, the league could once again rise to greatness.\n•How bad is the state of professional boxing? Tuesday, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis were set to announce their April title bout, but before the announcement came, Tyson lunged at Lewis and a fight broke out. The sport is so desperate that they have sunk to WWF lows with these obviously staged brawls. This marks the second straight heavyweight-title fight in which the two fighters went at it before the event -- in the fall, Hasim Rahman and Lewis used the same strategy to promote a fight on the set of ESPN's "UpClose." If this is the only way to attract fans, then boxing is in serious trouble.\n• The NFL coaching saga continues as the Indianapolis Colts have landed former Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy in what seems like a perfect marriage. The Buccaneers, however, were shunned by Bill Parcells, and now their interests have shifted from a man out of coaching for several years to a man who already has a job -- Raiders coach Jon Gruden. How can a team pursue a man who already has a job you ask? Apparently they can "compensate Oakland with draft picks." So basically, they can make a trade for a head coach -- proof that coaches' salaries should count against the salary cap. Lost in the mess is the fact that the Carolina Panthers and San Diego Chargers are still coachless.\n• Speaking of Jon Gruden, look for the Oakland Raiders to be next year's version of the Minnesota Vikings. They are aging rapidly, and with Gruden already admitting that he does not want to extend his contract there, players are going to have no motivation. Like Cris Carter and Randy Moss acted this year, the veterans in Oakland will get frustrated, leading to a poor season.\n• Trying to weed out the pretenders from the men's college basketball scene? Let me help -- Illinois. The Illini have tripped in the less-than-impressive Big Ten with losses to Wisconsin and Purdue (a trend that will hopefully continue this Saturday here in Bloomington). Sure they can win the conference championship, but they should be an early exit from the NCAA tournament.\nKeep an eye, on Kansas. A team that usually dominates a weak Big 12 and then stumbles come tournament time, the Jayhawks are now ranked second in both polls after defeating the numbers five and six teams in one week (Oklahoma and Oklahoma St., respectively). Look for this team to make a lot of noise come March.\n• Finally, I can't conclude without mentioning that I absolutely love ESPN's newest television show "Pardon the Interruption," starring sports writers Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon. For 30 minutes every day, these two surprisingly funny writers banter about the happenings around sports. They create a wonderful blend of informing and entertaining -- because, after all, that is what sports are all about.
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