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Game Plan
• MARVEL
At the stupidity of others ... as you watch ESPN Classic's That's a Bad Callmarathon. On Sunday the old school network highlights some of history's worstcalls and ownership decisions. Starting with the 1983 George Brett pine-tarincident, it examines gaffes by Don Denkinger, Harry Frazee and the Blazers,who passed on a guy named Jordan in the '84 draft. Happy holidays!
• TEST
The limits of yourcouch springs ... by settling in for the start of the 20-day bowl season. Themeaningless fun kicks off with four games on Saturday, starting with thehallowed EagleBank Bowl (Navy vs. Wake Forest) at 11 a.m. and ending with thevenerated Las Vegas Bowl (BYU vs. Arizona) at 8 p.m. (All are on ESPN orESPN2.) The day should be required viewing for those against a D-I playoff.
• SEE
Death Race Theeconomy is a mess, unemployment rages and violent competitions are pay-per-viewhits. Sounds like the front page of today's paper, but it's the premise of thisremake of the 1975 ultimate-race cult classic. Starring Jason Statham and thevoice of David Carradine and out on DVD this week, it won't win an Oscar. Butit will take your mind off the death race for the last Wii at Toys R Us.
• WATCH
Last game at TexasStadium Don Meredith didn't play there—the Dallas QB retired in 1969, two yearsbefore the 'Boys moved into the joint with the hole in the roof—but his lineapplies: Turn out the lights, the party's over. On Saturday, Dallas bidsfarewell to the Stadium, against the Ravens. (The game airs on the NFLNetwork.) The Cowboys' new palace in Arlington opens next fall.
• ENDURE
A day without prosports The NBA and NHL are dark on Christmas Eve. What to do? 1) Watch theHawaii Bowl. 2) Remember Bob McAdoo; the Lakers' trade for him on ChristmasEve, 1981, helped them win two titles. 3) Mail cards to Stu Barnes, LarryCsonka, Rickey Henderson, Hideki Okajima, Ken Stabler, Manny Trillo and MarcusTrufant—Christmas babies all.
The Pop CultureGrid
How do sports stars fit in? | Who'd you like to meet under the mistletoe? | Dumbest movie I saw in 2008 | ___ is at the top of my Christmas list | Favorite gadget | Sean Avery should ... |
DANNY GRANGER Pacers F-G | Kate Hudson | The House Bunny | A playoff berth | My car's satellite system | Not let other people get to him |
LE'RON MCCLAIN Ravens FB | Rihanna (top) | Crank | My mom | My Cadillac Escalade remote control truck | Realize when she's gone, she's gone |
TRAVIS OUTLAW Trailblazers F | Rihanna or Cassie. It's a tie | Don't know | My mom's home cooking | My iPhone | Be himself and say what he wants to say |
ANTONIO BRYANT Bucs WR | Jazmine Sullivan | The Love Guru | A nice vacation | My iPod touch | Realize he wasn't the first guy she was with |
INSIDE THE GRID
McClain thinks the Stars' Avery (below) exhibited sourgrapes in his classless dissing of ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert (above), butbelieves that with a six-game suspension, "they have punished himenough." Bryant has advice for Avery when it comes to matters of the heart."You don't have to talk about a girl like that. If it ain't meant to be, itain't meant to be. Just move on."
 
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ALEXANDRA WYMAN/WIREIMAGE/GETTY IMAGES (CUTHBERT)
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J. ROSS/GETTY IMAGES (AVERY)
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PARAMOUNT PICTURES/PHOTOFEST (LOVE GURU)
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JOHN BIEVER (BRYANT)
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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (OUTLAW)
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AARON JOSEFCZYK/ICON SMI (MCCLAIN)
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RON HOSKINS/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (GRANGER)
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KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES (RIHANNA)
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BETTMANN/CORBIS (BRETT)
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AL FRACEKEVICH/CORBIS (COUCH POTATO)
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UNIVERSAL STUDIOS (DEATH RACE)
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PAUL SPINELLI/GETTY IMAGES (TEXAS STADIUM)
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BRAD MANGIN (HENDERSON)
TWO PHOTOS
