For a plain old Wednesday there sure was a lot of interesting news today that is of interest to sports bettors. Here’s a quick hit look:

1. Pacman Jones is apparently done for the year with a neck injury. It’s a shame when bad things happen to good people.

2. Both SI and ESPN have articles up today in which they gush over the Panthers, calling them a Super Bowl contender. I love how a 10-3 team can sneak up on the two biggest sports publications in the country. A week ago neither had anything nice to say about the team. They never miss the chance to state the obvious.

3. Sucks to be Graham Harrell – three weeks ago he was the Heisman frontrunner. Now he isn’t even invited to the ceremony. According to the odds it is going to be a coronation for Sam Bradford. I like the value of Colt McCoy at 5/1, though. He’d have my vote.

4. What in the world is Charlotte doing? Boris Diaw and Raja Bell are nice players, but they don’t hold a candle to Jason Richardson. Richardson in the backcourt to take pressure of Steve Nash is going to be dynamite for Phoenix. If Richardson can get along with Nash and Stoudemire then this could be something to watch. Phoenix has been in a funk, but this could be enough to knock them out of it. I just wish that Mike D’Antoni was coaching Richardson. The hardest thing to believe in this deal is that this is all Charlotte got. If the Bobcats were willing to ship Richardson out of town then surely they could have got more than this – the guy is a scoring savant.

5. CC Sabathia is a Yankee. I have to give that organization credit – they find new and unique ways to make me sick all the time.

6. Joe Sakic is out until March thanks to a hand injury sustained in a snowmobile accident. You don’t need to know the details of that to know that it hurt.

7. The Indians are apparently about to pay Kerry Wood $20 million over two years. Am I the only one who thinks that that is a horrible idea? He’s a god pitcher and all, but he’s as durable as tissue paper.

8. I watched Gonzaga pulverize Washington State tonight. This isn’t a high profile Gonzaga team like past star-driven ones, but they are as good as any team that’s not the Tar Heels. Washington State, on the other hand, just doesn’t look good. I like Tony Bennett as a coach, but I am disappointed in the step back that the program has taken. To be fair, he has a lot of youngsters, but they just don’t look crisp or, frankly, hugely talented.

9. I also watched my hometown Calgary Flames play Detroit tonight. It was a perfect example of how terribly frustrating the Flames can be – they played the best period a team can possibly play in the first, and about the worst in the third. They are Jekyll and Hyde. Very annoying. And hard to bet on.

10. I love Xavier. 8-0 and looking good after an easy win tonight. They play Duke and Butler three days apart right before Christmas. What a test. I can’t wait. It’s an early Christmas present. I’d like them even more if they could cover consistently – tonight’s win moves them to just 3-4 ATS.