Jeremiah was a live blog ♬ was a live blog of mine ♬ The Phillies and the Dodgers in a Game 1 showdown ♬ will start at half ’til nine ♬ I said it starts at half ’til nine —Sussman

This commercial came on today during the 17-hour morning SportsCenter and … wow. Just wow. Where to even begin?

Is it the stolen Monday Night Football theme? The low rent “highlight” package at the beginning? The awesome URL? The bonus coin? The eight more bonus coins with handsome carrying case? This might be the classiest currency related marketing campaign since the September 11 $20 bill.

I think the part that I like best, though, is the opportunity to forever memorialize Brett Favre using legal tender … but only as a Green Bay Packer. I dare someone to buy a bag of Doritos at the Fond du Lac Walgreens with one of these babies and not get their ass handed to them six ways to Sunday by the cashier.

• The Brett Favre Coin [GreatQB.com]

• But he seems like such a nice guy…: Busted Coverage chronicles the hate. Cajun Boy unleashes it: “See, here’s the thing. Everybody hates Tim Tebow. No seriously, everybody hates this fuck. Obviously, as a guy with a vested emotional interest in a football program that plays in the Southeastern Conference and thus competes with Florida for championships year after year, I have a reason to root against the guy. But what I find most striking is that living in New York, I meet all kinds of people from all different backgrounds, and many of them are college football fans who are not from the south, and what I have come to find is that they all fucking hate this guy with the intensity of a million white hot suns, just like me! [Cajun Boy]

• The fall of the Raiders began with Gruden: “Letting Gruden go was our biggest mistake,” a source in the front office said. “We still haven’t recovered from that decision. We should have paid him whatever it took to keep him around. Look how much it has cost us in terms of wins and losses.” [Real Clear Sports]

• Jose Canseco still wants to fight: “Jose Canseco is planning to fight again. According to WIP radio, Canseco is looking for an opponent to fight him in the Philadelphia area this January. Canseco was knocked out by former Philadelphia Eagle Vai Sikahema in a celebrity fight on July 12th in Atlantic City. Jose, an admitted steroid user, hit 462 home runs in 17 seasons for the A’s, Red Sox, Rangers and others.” [SBB]

• ESPN’s race coverage is not so good: “People don’t want to be lied to. They don’t want to watch that. I mean, you watch Brad Daugherty and Rusty Wallace and you gotta have a barf bag. It is the worst television ever. They don’t tell you anything, it’s all this suck-ass, kiss-ass dialogue, it just makes me cringe. That ESPN Now show everyday is one of the worst things that’s ever been on television, it’s just hysterical to watch. I think it’s an insult to a race fans mentality that they have to put up with this shit. ” [Ride Buyer]

Some may say that the rest of America is piling on the Chicago Cubs and their fans; making too much sport of their misery. But is not our gentle mocking really a welcome distraction from all of the really serious problems in the world? I say that the Cubs are actually keeping this country sane. Witness if you will this amusing segment from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart from last night.

JON STEWART: Cubs fans are considered a subset of stupid?
JOHN OLIVER: Oh absolutely John. They’ve had a hundred years to figure out that what they want will never happen, and yet they still yearn for it.
JS: And that is stupid.
JO: Yes, that’s very stupid.
JS: Because the Cubs will never win.
JO: No, that’s right John. The Chicago Cubs will never, ever win the World Series. They won’t do it.
JS: They’ve made God angry.
JO: That’s right. That’s what I’m saying.

Thank you, Daily Show. And thank you, Cubs.

Baseball Rules On Comedy Central’s Late Night Shows”> [Big League Stew]
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

What to watch while you contemplate your career choices …

• Classic Boxing: Holyfield/Bowe I and II. (8:30 ET) Wait, really? This is what we’re reduced to? [ESPN]
• Series: “South Park”/”The Sarah Silverman Program”, Season Premieres (10:00 ET) When you’re not just sure … you’re HIV-positive. [Comedy Central]
• Movie: The Bodyguard (7:15 ET) [Oxygen] Seriously, just go out to eat or something.

• Too much vinegar in the pool?: Look, the Olympics ended weeks ago. Everyone should just give this guy a break and get off his bac… what, that picture right there? At a celebrity bowling tournament? OK, maybe you have a point. [Best Week Ever]

• It’s a rescue, not a bailout: Merritt Paulson, son of Treasury Secretary Hank, is taking his father’s business acumen and applying it to low-level professional sports. Now all he needs is $85 million in taxpayer money, and don’t you worry your pretty little head about the rest. [Slanch Report]

• Serenity now!: Cut the NFL refs some slack—they’re only human. Stupid puny humans with soft squishy brains. [PSAMP]

• We’d like a word with Shawn Green: For our Jewish friends, a few things they might want to atone for tonight. Not you, Hank Greenberg. It’s all good. [Sports Crackle Pop]

Cubs fan sells his loyalty on eBay. Bidding up to $450. [Chicago Tribune]

NBA training camps have begun; the season is rapidly approaching. Can you dig it? I knew that you could. And so we continue our previews: 30 of them in 30 days. Up next is a team that has become the NBA’s perennial bridesmaid: The Detroit Pistons.

When last we saw them: Finished 59-23, first in the Central Division and second overall in the East. Suffered their third straight defeat in the Eastern Conference Finals, this time at the sweaty, leather-scented hands of the Boston Celtics.

Key Dubious Arrivals: Kwame Brown (OH DEAR GOD), Walter Sharpe, Will Bynum

Key Departures: Jarvis Hayes, Juan Dixon, Theo Ratliff

The Good: Despite their recent playoff disappointments, Joe Dumars did not panic and blow up the core he has so carefully constructed. For that reason, Detroit still has one of the best (if not the best) starting fives in pro basketball: Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess. They also have the “Zoo Crew” (Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, Arron Afflalo and Amir Johnson) coming off the bench. So they’re talented, experienced and deep. Not a bad combination, eh? Furthermore, the Pistons are one of the best defensive units in the league on a yearly basis: They were first in the NBA in points allowed last season (90.1) - which makes them one of two teams (along with the Spurs) to finish in the top three in that category during each of the last five seasons - and third in opponents field goal percentage (.437). Flip Saunders has gone the way of the parachute pants, which is good since he had worn out his welcome and certain players (coughRasheedWallacecough) never fully respected him anyway. New head coach Michael Curry seems pretty well-respected around the league. Oh, and ‘Sheed - whose contact is up after this season and therefore could be due for a Contract Year Phenomenon - is always good for a few laughs.

The Bad: Their biggest offseason acquisition was Kwame “Stone Hands” Brown. Curry is a rookie head coach with only one year of experience as an assistant, and even though this is a veteran team that should be able to police themselves, it seems to me they need a strong hand to guide them and keep them in line. This is particularly true since the team has a bad habit of succumbing to hubris and presuming they can just show up and beat anybody. That sense of entitlement has hurt them, and badly, in each of the last three Eastern Conference Finals against teams (the Heat, Cavaliers and Celtics) who simply wanted it more. The core group of starters is aging, and there’s a sense that their incredible run of health - Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Wallace and McDyess have all appeared in at least 70 games in each of the past four seasons - has to end some time. Also, historically speaking, teams that continually fall short in the playoffs don’t usually make The Leap unless they make some dramatic change or heady signing…and Kwame Brown doesn’t fit the bill in either case. Oh, and ‘Sheed is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. On pretty much anybody.

Fun Facts: The franchise was founded as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, and their logo was a dude made out of tin cans. (Okay, they’re actually supposed to be pistons. I think. You’ve got to admit the picture is poorly rendered.) Before Hooper, the Pistons’ mascot was Sir-Slam A-lot, who, frankly, was much cooler. (By mascot standards, anyway.) Pistons fans (that is, fans attending games at the Palace of Auburn Hills) consume about 175,000 gallons of soft drinks during a season. That’s equal to the volume of 103,550 regulation size basketballs or 1,866,702 12-ounce cans of pop. Richard Hamilton is the only player in NBA history to lead his team in scoring without hitting a field goal. On January 6, 2005, Hamilton went 0-10 from the field and 14-14 from the line yet was still the team’s highest scorer.

Videotastic extra: Two words: Jingle Bells.

The good news from last season:
Chris Kaman took a huge step forward, tallying 15.7 points, 12.7 rebounds (which would have been good for third in the league if he had played in enough games), and 2.8 blocks per game (third in the NBA - no reason why he qualified in one statistic and not another). Rookie Al Thornton showed that he could score in the NBA, averaging 12.7 points per game overall and 16.5 points per game over his final 31 games. Baron Davis signed shortly after free agency opened, and the team traded for Marcus Camby for next to nothing.

The bad news from last season:
Of course, the acquisition of Camby was an easier decision once Elton Brand signed with Philadelphia right after Davis inked a deal to come to his hometown. This came on the heels of Brand missing all but eight games of last season with an Achilles' injury. Even though Kaman put up such great numbers, he still missed 26 games. Injuries riddled the roster, as the team eventually started 15 different players. As a whole, the team was woeful from outside, finishing 28th and 29th in the NBA in three-pointers made and three-point field goal percentage, respectively. The team was also indifferent on defense, finishing 24th in field goal percentage allowed. Throw in that the team was 28th in rebounding differential and it does not take any leaps to understand why the Clips limped to a 23-win season.

The revolving door:
IN: F-C Marcus Camby, G Baron Davis, G Ricky Davis, G Eric Gordon, G Jason Hart, F-C Brian Skinner
OUT: F Elton Brand, G Brevin Knight, F Corey Maggette
Team overview:
The team looks almost nothing like the squad from last year, with at least six new faces who should make the team, and that may or may not be a good thing. The marquee move of the offseason was bringing in Baron Davis from Golden State. Despite the point guard having a fantastic season last year (he was near personal bests in threes, steals and points per game), the signing was a risky one based on Davis' fragile health, having played in every game last year for the first time in six years. Davis will be joined in the backcourt by Cuttino Mobley, whose production has gradually decreased ever since he came to Los Angeles. If Mobley could get back to his career average of 38 percent from deep, it would be a big help. Jason Hart, who is back for his second tour with the Clippers, should back up Davis. Hart was solid in his first stop with the team, starting 22 games late in the 2006-2007 season and averaging 9.0 points per game while carding a 2.74-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Ricky Davis will likely play both swingman spots off the bench. Rookie Eric Gordon injured an ankle early in training camp following a hamstring injury in summer league play, so it is unknown whether he will be able to get into the rotation, at least at the start of the season.

Al Thornton is likely to be the starter at the three as a sophomore with Corey Maggette moving up to Golden State. Thornton has a long way to go on the defensive end, but that does not make him unusual on this roster. Marcus Camby will shift to the power forward spot and join Chris Kaman down low. The two should combine for an effective rebounding, scoring, and shotblocking force. Both players are capable of 15 points and 10 rebounds every night, as well as defending the rim more than capably. Camby played in 79 games last year for Denver and posted a career-high (and league-leading) 3.6 blocks per game, the fifth time in his career he has surpassed the three blocks per game plateau. On offense, Camby should get a significant number of looks for the 18-foot jumper he likes with Kaman operating down low. Kaman, who has an array of post moves, should benefit from not being alone on defense and the boards. Tim Thomas will play some minutes at both forward spots, but coach Mike Dunleavy can feel free to give the gunner a short leash with so many other options. Brian Skinner will be a role player off the bench at power forward with either Camby or Kaman playing next to him. Skinner's toughness and rebounding remain his calling cards after ten years in the league.

Fantasy note:
Chris Kaman will regress significantly. He will see the ball a lot less frequently on offense with the addition of a couple “shoot-first” players (Baron Davis, Ricky Davis) to complement those already on the team (Thornton, Mobley). He also will not be able to wrangle so many rebounds with Camby, who was second in the league in rebounds last year, flanking him. He is still capable of posting averages of 12 points and nine rebounds a game, but expecting more than that is foolish.

Best case scenario:
This group is very talented on offense. They have enough weapons that they should be able to hang with anyone in the league on that end. Dunleavy gets enough effort on defense out of this group that they win 47 games, squeak into the eighth playoff spot, and prove to be a tough out in the first round.

Worst case scenario:
No one plays defense and everything implodes as the players are more concerned about getting shots instead of wins. Baron Davis sours on Dunleavy by the holidays and the team skids to 26 wins.