FanNation - The Republic of Sport

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.

The Famous Famiglia pizza-eating contest was held Sunday.

New York Daily News

Each day during the noon hour, we'll offer five reading recommendations from around the Web.

1. Joey Chestnut breaks pizza-eating record with 45 slices in 10 minutes (By Lore Croghan, New York Daily News): Reigning Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Joey Chestnut won the Famous Famiglia pizza-eating contest in Times Square on Sunday, consuming 45 slices in 10 minutes -- roughly 1.7 pizzas per minute.

2. NFL should apologize for bad call (By Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press): One day after a questionable pass interference penalty prevented Detroit from earning its first victory of the season, this writer contends the NFL owes the Lions an apology.

3. Loss doesn't bode well for Patriots' future (By Ron Borges, Boston Herald): Last night's thumping at the hands of the Chargers revealed the reigning AFC champions are a shell of their former selves.

4. A small team in Germany hits big time (By Kate Connolly, The Observer): The German town of Hoffenheim (pop. 3,200) is very small. But its local soccer team has risen rapidly through the ranks to the Bundesliga, the nation's top division. Incredibly, just over a week ago, Hoffenheim sat atop the league standings, above world-renowned powers like Bayern Munich, Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen.

Philadelphia's Shane Victorino ducks under a pitch from Los Angeles righthander Hiroki Kuroda in Game 3 of the NLCS.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Hiroki Kuroda | The 33-year-old rookie right-hander, an 11-year veteran of Japan's Central League, surrendered just five hits and two runs through six innings in L.A.'s crucial 7-2 win over the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLCS. But it was Kuroda's pitch near the right ear of Philly's Shane Victorino -- an apparent retaliation for Brett Myers' throw at Manny Ramirez in Game 2 -- which lit a fire under the Dodgers and changed the complexion of a previously lopsided series.

The Redskins' offense | Washington was proven guilty of overconfidence in a shocking 19-17 loss at the hands of the woebegone Rams. After entering the contest as the only team in NFL history to open a season with zero offensive turnovers through its first five games, the 'Skins lost three fumbles in a span of four possessions, setting the stage for their surprising upset loss.

Texas football | The Longhorns ascended to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 during the regular season for the first time in 24 years in the wake of their resounding 45-35 victory over Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday. Texas, previously ranked fifth, made the largest jump to No. 1 in a single week since Miami went from No. 6 to No. 1 on Aug. 29, 1988.