FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Manny and the Dodgers are fired up for Game 4 of the NLCS.

Kevork Djansezian/AP

All times Eastern.

• 7:00 p.m., Versus: The Captials and Canucks clash in the nation's capital. Washington's Alex Ovechkin, the reigning MVP who scored 65 times last year, already has a pair of goals in '08-09. 

• 8:00 p.m., FOX: Tempers on both sides have simmered during the first three games of the NLCS, as Sunday's benches-clearing staredown indicated. Will they boil over tonight, as the Dodgers look to even up the series at two games apiece? It's Joe Blanton for Philadelphia against Game 1 starter Derek Lowe for Los Angeles.

• 8:30 p.m., ESPN: Under the Monday Night Football spotlight, the New York Giants look avoid the trap and improve to 5-0 against the Cleveland Browns.

An irregular feature showcasing the most interesting and eye-catching sports adverts from television and the Web.

Last year, Nike enlisted Academy Award-nominated director Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider) to helm this visually stunning commercial featuring Shawne Merriman and Steven Jackson for its "Leave Nothing" campaign.

On Friday, the shoe giant released a follow-up advert directed by another A-List auteur: David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club), the 46-year-old veteran whose upcoming film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is already generating serious Oscar buzz. This commercial -- entitled "Fate" -- tracks the collision course of LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu from their infancies to the present.

Tick, tick, tick goes the Terrell Owens time bomb in Dallas.

Ross D. Franklin/AP

When I followed the herd and picked the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl before the season, there were a few major things I conveniently overlooked ... even before Tony Romo broke his pinkie. Here are five key reasons my preseason prediction will be tragically incorrect once again:

1. Tony Romo's inability to win the big game is not a fluke.

Whatever that indescribable ability to will a team to victory  -- think Johnny Unitas or John Elway --  Romo doesn't have it. He doesn't protect the ball well enough and, while he might be a leader in the locker room, the results of his leadership aren't showing up on the field.

2. T.O. is due for some problems.

Owens is good for about one season before his mental issues get in the way. It's a miracle he's been productive this long for the Cowboys. But Owens is showing telltale signs of a major blowup on the horizon. He's complained about not getting the ball enough and had an unusually emotional postgame press conference. Defenses are paying a lot of attention to Owens and playing very aggressively against the big receiver, which is fueling a lot of his frustration.

Met fan Adam Ferrara on the '08 World Series: "I don't care."

Author, humorist and former Extra Mustard contributor Steve Hofstetter asked 30 comedians to share their pick to win the World Series.

Dennis Blair | Boston Red Sox

I say Red Sox all the way. But then again, I also said Dow 15,000.

Keith Alberstadt | Red Sox

Because with the state of the economy, Bill Belichick's video crew now does freelance work.

Adam Ferrara (pictured) | No one

I don't care, I'm a Met fan.

Phil Mazo | Tampa Bay Rays

Florida is about as far from Cuba as Alaska is from Russia so, naturally, Tampa knows a ton about baseball.

Mike Trainor | Los Angeles Dodgers

Manny Ramirez and Joe Torre will lead the Dodgers to a world championship. Seeking to further humiliate their former teams, they will win it all again in 2009 with the Royals, 2010 with the Reds and 2011 with the Seattle SuperSonics.

Don Zimmer (left) made headlines during the 2003 ALCS.

Paul J. Bereswill/AP

By Lang Whitaker, SI.com

When the Dodgers and Phillies almost came to blows this weekend, it turned out the players weren't the ones most in danger of losing their cool: It was assistant coaches Davy Lopes and Larry Bowa. It was also Bowa, you may recall, who was suspended three games earlier this season after being ejected for ignoring an umpire's warnings not to leave the third base coaching box. As integral as assistant coaches are, one of the key elements of their job description is to stay out of the headlines. Most do, some don't. Here's our list of the five most infamous assistant coaches ...

1. Don Zimmer: Just ask Pedro Martinez.

2. Rick Mahorn: The former Bad Boy was known as a physical player during his years with the Pistons. But this past WNBA season, as an assistant with the Detroit Shock, Mahorn set a new standard when he got tangled up with L.A.'s Lisa Leslie during a bench-clearing brawl.

3. Rick Tocchet: After a long career in the NHL, Tocchet was working as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Coyotes when he was accused of helping finance a nationwide gambling ring.

4. Joe Cullen: The defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions is probably better known for allegedly hitting a Wendy's drive-through window while under in the influence. Also, he was nude.

5. Dwane Casey: The former Kentucky assistant was essentially exiled from basketball for years after he was implicated in a recruiting scandal involving Chris Mills. Casey later made it back and had two runs as a head coach in the NBA.

Who is your favorite infamous assistant coach? Let us know below ...

Lang Whitaker is the executive editor of SLAM magazine and writes daily at SLAMonline.com.