I am impressed to the point of being shocked by the start that Brandon Jennings has gotten off to. In three games for a reasonably crappy Bucks team the point guard has averaged 22 points, .3 assists, and four boards. I have only seen him play part of one game, but he looked the furthest thing from a rookie point guard. The game I saw them play was against Chicago. I am a huge Derrick Rose guy – couldn’t be a bigger believer. That being said, Jennings flat out outplayed him in the game. I was very skeptical of Jennings ‘ decision to play in Europe instead of college, and the reports coming out of Europe weren’t universally great, but early indications are that he could be a serious draft steal. The downside to his early strong play in my mind is that it further legitimizes his decision to skip college and turn pro in Europe. If it continues to turn out so well for him then other players will surely follow, and that will only hurt college basketball. I’d obviously rather not have that happen.

Speaking of the Bucks, I saw a couple of days ago where they have decided to cut ties with Joe Alexander, their eighth overall pick two years ago, after this season. Talk about a case study for a guy who chose the right time to get hot. Alexander had a great tournament run for West Virginia, and that bumped him way up in the draft. He’s been a total bust as a pro, though – despite the fact that he looked like he wanted it more than everyone else when he was on the court in college and he could shoot the lights out. You’d think pro scouts could rise above the hype machine, but they often are no better at it than the rest of us.

On a list of the top ten worst NFL teammates you would have to put Roy Williams in serious consideration. He decided this week to throw his QB under the bus. It turns out, according to Williams, that it actually isn’t his fault at all that he is playing so badly. He is working hard and doing all that he is supposed to do, but Romo is choosing to throw to other players instead of him – like Miles Austin, who Williams bitterly pointed out more than once. Stay classy, Roy. Idiot.

Pettitte v. Pedro – potentially for the World series – what freaking year is it? I can’t believe I am saying it because I was so skeptical of Philly’s decision to bring him in, but all things being equal I think I like Pedro here – he’s better rested and has pitched well.

Anyone else as surprised as I am that the moneyline is game six is as lopsided as it is?

I am now ready to officially declare Yi Jianlian a bust. He has a sprained knee ligament that will keep him out of action for a while – the latest in a ridiculously long line of injuries for the third year player. It’s not like the guy is exactly lighting it up when he is healthy, either. He definitely isn’t all the trouble that was involved in convincing he to come over in the first place. With every player like this I become more and more skeptical of ‘can’t miss’ foreign prospects. That being said, former number one pick Andrea Bargnani has had very good games in two of his three outings this year and may finally be starting to earn some of his money. How do you say ‘it’s about freaking time’ in Italian?