14Dec/095:09 PM

Brownie Points: Random thoughts from the week that was

By Jerry Brown

I see Amar’e Stoudemire’s restaurant in downtown Phoenix filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I heard the place was in trouble, but I really though it would rebound.

On second thought, I guess I should have known better…

* I’m getting into a pretty good routine these days.
Wake up around seven.
Grab some coffee.
Flip on “The Today Show” and watch a Tiger Woods mistress deny that she’s a prostitute — and swear she ended the relationship because she felt sorry for
Tiger’s wife.
Feed the dog…

* Tiger is losing sponsors left and right, but the latest publicity will also open the door to other sponsorship possibilities. How about On-Star? (“Yes, and now she’s bashing in the back windows!”) or the Las Vegas Convention Bureau (“What happen in Vegas, stays in Vegas … unless you’re, like, super famous…”)

* Are there any other crappy teams out there who haven’t beaten the Steelers? You know the Lions and the Buccaneers are cursing the schedule makers for not getting their kick at the can while the Chiefs, Raiders and Browns (the Browns … really?) belly up to the Bottom Feeder Buffet…

* East Coast college football media … have you met Toby Gerhart?

* Is there a better camera shot in sports than peeking into Jerry Jones’ luxury box in his gazillion dollar stadium and watching the boss with his head in his hands as another December collapse is in full swing? OK Jerry, tell us again how Wade Phillips job is safe?

* Randy Moss quit on his team? That hasn’t happened in years. OK, two years.

* A few thoughts on the D-Backs’ three-way trade from last week. I never had a seat on the Max Scherzer bandwagon, but the way that this deal was panned by almost every seamhead on the planet certainly gives you pause.

Arizona thinks the West can be won now, and they weren’t willing to spend money to deepen the starting rotation. So they traded their most valuable young pitcher (actually two of the best, including Daniel Schlereth) in the hopes that Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy can produce now and they can sneak up on the Dodgers and Rockies.

Risky? You betcha. And the clock is now on Josh Byrnes. If this one goes down in flames, there is no one else left to blame…

* It’s hard to stomach a 2-5 start to December, but did we really expect much better from the Suns when you look at the gauntlet of opponents they had waiting? If they had beaten the Knicks and stole one at either Dallas or Denver, it would have been one of the more impressive 4-3 runs in team history…

* The Saints keep winning, but they are looking less and less invincible as the playoffs beckon. It will still be a tall task to win in the Superdome in January, but a more well-rounded team – like the Cardinals, who can not only score but occasionally stop the other guys – will have a shot.
Watching Jason Campbell and Mickey Redmond … oops, sorry, Chris Redman – ring up 300-plus yards on the Saints makes you wonder what kind of damage Kurt Warner and his weapons could inflict…

* If you’re waiting for the Coyotes to implode, don’t hold your breath. They have hit the 40-point mark three weeks earlier than last year, when they were the talk of the Western Conference at the All-Star break. (Prediction: At least 2-2 on this four-game road trip.)

If their bell cow in pads, Ilya Bryzgalov, can continue to do his Martin Brodeur impression and reach the Olympic break in one piece – and Team Russia doesn’t make him show up in Vancouver – the Dogs will have a rested and ready goalie for the stretch run.

Dave Tippett’s system has made both the amount of shots (4-5 less a game) and the quality of shots (less unmarked men to swallow up rebound chances) less than the days of Wayne Gretzky. And having a goalie coach like Sean Burke, who realizes the importance of resting his horse between starts (practices and morning skates off) has kept Bryzgalov rested and sharp at the same time.