COOLER TALK - ND Sound-off

Notre Dame has 11 National Championships - the last one coming in 1988 under Lou Holtz. Notre Dame also has 7 Heisman trophy winners - the last coming in 1987, won by Tim Brown. All the tradition in the world. None of this means anything now. The Fightin' Irish have gone 14 years without a bowl victory - 1994 Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame looks to avoid two losing seasons in a row, by winning in the Hawaii Bowl against Hawaii. With all that said, I was thinking about this: How many Catholics across the country (and maybe even the world) have planned their Christmas Eve dinner and church attendance around the Notre Dame game? I mean honestly, no matter how bad they are people are always going to watch. Since it has been 9 bowls lost in a row people just keep watching to see if they will break the streak. While others continue to watch, to see if the streak will keep going. Good luck to Charlie Weis and the Irish, because they all have the weight of the Irish World on their shoulders. 

*SeVen Jam$ of the wEEk*

1. "What A World" - Common ft. Chester French - Common's new CD is one of the best this year and this song is an example of that. Common always delivers. 

2. "If I"  - Justin Timberlake ft. T.I. - I am not a huge JT fan, this is a real cool track. Plus anytime you add T.I. to the song it will always be better. 

3. "The Future" - Joe Budden ft. The Game - Not the usual track from Joe B., but this club sounding hit is real cool. 

4. "The Movement" - The Tones - This duo from the Bay area brings a fresh sound to music. They have something to say and do it over cool sounds. 

5. "I Wanna Be" - Musiq Soulchild ft. Damian Marley - Musiq is cool on this laid back R&B track. And by adding the likes of Damian Marley to it, just makes the track that much cooler.

6. "Be That Way Sometimes" - Lloyd Banks - Banks decided to come back to the game. His first CD was real, real good. And then he just fell in line behind 50. I am glad he is back to his original sound. 

7. "Day and Night" - Collie Buddz - Not my favorite jam from reggae artist Collie Buddz, but his jams are always real cool and easy to rock with. Buddz again delivers with a new sound. 

**Also receiving votes: "Show is Over" - The Game     "Hustlers and Customers" - Lupe Fiasco     "Number One" - Eminem ft. Dr. Dre     "Gotta Be Somebody" - Nickelback 

WEEK 16 FANTASY FOOTBALL

Pocket Aces and Team Jokers

Ace***** -- Drew Brees. I mean really. The Saints are matched up against the Detroit Lions this weekend. Need I say more? Do I really have to explain this choice? I think the case for Brees (and really the whole Saints offense) is self explanatory. The Lions are bad. Real bad. Built to go 0-16. Also the flu bug has infected half of the locker room. So look for Brees to have a BIG day in the Superdome against Lions.

Ace*** -- Steve Breaston. Stevie B. The 3rd wide receiver for an Arizona Cardinals offense which is one of the best in the league. I know what your thinking... Cardinals in the freezing, snowy cold of New England, are you serious? Yes I am very serious. The Patriots corners have not been as good this season and the NEED to double cover both Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, leaves Breaston one-on-one for most of the game. Look for a very productive game from Breaston at Gillette Stadium. 

Ace*** -- This situation is very similar to the Saints offense against Detroit, because the red-hot Houston Texans head to Oakland to take on the not very good Raiders. You can pick a few players from this Texans offense to have huge games this week. One is ANDRE JOHNSON... I mean it may not be a repeat of last weeks performance - 11 catches 207 yards TD - but he will again be the main target of Matt Schaub. If Johnson has another big game, so will Schaub. Steve Slaton doesn't need much of an introductory anymore. He has exploded onto the NFL's scene this season as a rookie. As great as Chris Johnson has been for the Titans, Slaton has equaled his play for the Texans. Look for Slaton to have a huge game as well. 

Joker -- I know this game is now over. But I couldn't resist putting the Dallas Cowboys defense as my Joker of the week. Last night they were in control of their own playoff destiny. And on two plays (when they were down by two points in both situations) with less than five minutes left in the game, they allowed two touchdown runs of 77 yards and 82 yards. As I cheered on the Ravens performance, I sat and thought the best gift I could give you for the holidays, would be the Cowboys defense as my JOKER this week. Enjoy. 

*NEW CD REVIEW*

COMMON - UNIVERSAL MIND CONTROL

Wild. Crazy. Cool. Three words that best describe Common's latest album release. This is Common's eighth studio album, and is his third in four years (Finding Forever - 2007 and Be - 2005). To some this is a new style and sound  for Common, in comparison with his other albums. It is very true, but in a good way. Universal Mind Control is a unique blend of sounds that pulls in sounds from across the music spectrum. The wild style and sound can be attributed to the production help Common received from The Neptunes and Kanye West. The wacky hip-hop vibe of UMC is partly the Neptunes flavor mixed with Mr. West's new 808's sound. Add all of that up with Common's ability to rap and you have another great album from the Chicago-native Common. If I had to pick one thing to complain about,it would be the length of the record. It only has ten songs. Yea I know Common has been busy with his acting career, but I would like to see a few more songs. They are all real good tracks, but I would just like to have a little more. Other than that, this album is a must have, and Common once again delivers. 

**4.9 (out of 5)**

Top Songs - "Universal Mind Control" - "Make My Day" - "Changes" - "What A World"

COOLER TALK - Pure Shooter Sound Off

Stephen Curry vs. A.J. Abrams

The college basketball season is now a little over a month old. And after watching much of the early season tournaments and various early match-ups, I have seen plenty of Stephen Curry and A.J. Abrams. Then thought about which of these two is the best shooter in college hoops? Of course the immediate and obvious answer is Stephen Curry, who is quickly becoming a cult-like figure in the college hoops world. 

So far, in this young season, Curry is averaging 31.9 points-a-game while shooting just over 38-percent from beyond the arc. Flat out, the boy from Davidson can shoot. He takes shots that would drive other coaches across the country absolutely crazy. But the fact remains he makes them. More importantly he hits the shots when the game is on the line. And Curry has scored 40-points or more in games three times this season.   

A.J. Abrams, the Longhorn star, plays both shooting guard and point guard for Texas. Don't be fooled by him splitting time between the two positions the kid is also deadly from deep. So far this season, Abrams has led the Longhorns averaging 20.9 points a game, while shooting just under 48-percent from three-point land. He manages to get open anywhere on the floor and can square-up better than most shooters.

This decision is tough, because I love to watch both players. They both shoot the lights out of any building. The two of them are also called on to do more than just shoot. They both often have to play the point position to help out their teams. And I think if they were to remake the Jordan-Bird McDonald's Horse Commercial these two are a must for the remake. 

With all that said, to me, Curry is the best shooter in the land. He takes shots that most people wouldn't even think of taking, and the best part is he makes those shots. First hand evidence, Curry just a few weeks ago, had a awful shooting night (9-27), missing 12 of his first 13 three-point attempts. However with five-minutes left in the game and his team struggling, Curry turned it on scoring 13 of Davidson's final 15 points to win the game. You can try to slow him down Curry, but just know at any point of that game you won't stop him no matter what shot you force him to take. 

**Other notable shooters :   David Holston - Chicago State     Kyle McAlarney - Notre Dame     James Harden - Arizona State      Josh Akognon - CS Fullerton