Sports Store Chicago

If the football media was a bodily function, this week it would have been projectile vomiting. It may turn out to be a defining week in English football so what better time to start a weekly trawl through the highways and byways of football media in all its twisted glory. Monday morning comes on heavy like an illness and so I ease into the international week with the excellent Times podcast, The Game, presented by Gabriele Marcotti and Guillem Balague. Marcotti is the primo pundit and journalist around at the moment. His gig is to be arsy, argumentative and be well armed with facts, figures and anecdotes. Everything he's involved with has a real spark about it. An ongoing theme of the week is the increasingly tedious 'are there too many foreigners' debate. Carragher speaks the most sense on this saying it's not the quantity, it's the quality of them.

On the schedule today

As you check out the sports page today, make sure to notice our dual (not duel) chats. First, at noon, NBA editor Brian Styers holds forth on "thee association." Even if you don't want to spend your lunch break with Brian -- but who wouldn't? -- you can send in your questions ahead of time and check in later for his pithy replies.

Just as you've collected all the NBA nuggets that were possible, Nate Davis checks in at 2 p.m. with NFL fantasy tips and more. You can send in your queries ahead of time, of course. If you're reading this, make sure to ask him what to do for self-punishment if you benched Jason Hanson of Detroit in favor of Jeff Reed just before Thanksgiving. Hanson had a huge game, scoring close to 20 points in leagues that reward long-distance kicks and Reed made the game winner on Monday Night but missed a kick earlier resulting in a fantasy score of one point.

Swiss players arrested for suspected sex with minor

Twelve current or former players of Swiss soccer club FC Thun were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of having sex with a minor.

Retailers gear up for big day

Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving that traditionally gives retailers a significant sales boost - should wake up consumer's wallets with plenty of holiday shopping options this weekend.Greenwood Mall will begin its shopping blitz at 6 a.m., giving away shopping bags filled with goodies for the first 500 adult patrons who show up near the carousel entrance. Bags will be filled with retail discounts and randomly placed prizes, including a Nintendo Wii, and mall gift cards ranging from $50 to $250, according to Greenwood Mall marketing manager Shelli Rose."They typically go very fast," Rose said. "People have been known to line up as early as 4 a.m."Mall shoppers can also browse the mall's seasonal in-line stores, including Pet Dreams, which provides clothing, furniture and other trendy items for pets; Kitchen Collection, which specializes in gadgets for the kitchen; Quail Hollow Candles and Gifts, and Big Country Power Sports, Rose said.At Best Buy, product process manager Kyle Gerkins will accommodate those who flood the long lines at his store early Friday morning with port-a-potties."Last year, people started lining up on Thanksgiving morning," Gerkins said.Gerkins said the store has increased its stock to handle the crowds, especially those looking to stuff stockings with flat-panel, plasma or LCD TVs, MP3 players and video game systems.Gerkins expects the Nintendo Wii to garner considerable attention again this year, since shoppers are still hungry for the console because of supply shortcomings.Digital picture frames, which flash slideshows of snapshots loaded from a memory card, are also expected to be a huge seller.Doors will open at 5 a.m.

FYI: Advance planning urged for Cowboys fans Thursday

Q: Where around Lufkin can I go to watch the Cowboys-Packers game on Thursday night? I'm asking what places with TVs might have the proper hookup or feed to carry the game. And short of that, is there any radio station around here that I can pick up at night that will be carrying the game? Help!

A: We feel your pain, along with hundreds of other Cowboys fans who don't have the NFL Package from DirecTV so they can access the NFL Network, this year's new innovation of the National Football League that brings new meaning to the phrase "pay per view." We polled about 20 restaurants around town that have televisions in their customer service areas. Of those, the ones that responded in the affirmative to having access to the NFL Network package with the likelihood of having it tuned to the Cowboys-Packers game included Applebee's, Chili's and Logan's.

Rivermen weekly

THIRD ANNUAL TEDDY BEAR TOSS NIGHT! The Rivermen invite everyone to bring a new or gently-used teddy bear to the game on Friday night and throw it on the ice when the Rivermen score so that less-fortunate children in the Peoria area can have a brighter Christmas. Firefighters Local 50 will be spearheading the bear collection this year and distributing the toys in time for the Holidays. Wrap your toy in a plastic bag to keep the moisture off its fur!

Pucks 'N' Purses Night will take place on Friday as well, with local businesses setting up a female-oriented expo in the Civic Center halls just in time for holiday gift ideas and shopping tips - right guys? **nudge, nudge, wink, wink** If your business is interesting in having a table at the game, call Katie Kerr at (309) 680-3791 for more information.

Redskins' Taylor dead after shooting at home

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder's eyes were red. His voice cracked and was barely audible. Next to him sat coach Joe Gibbs, barely more composed.Safety Sean Taylor's violent death had left his team in tears and the NFL in mourning."This is a terrible, terrible tragedy," Snyder said.Taylor died early Tuesday of a gunshot wound from an apparent intruder, a tragic end for a 24-year-old man whose life was transformed by the birth of a daughter 18 months ago."We're going to miss him," Gibbs said. "I'm not talking about as a player. I'm talking about as a person."A day earlier, Taylor and his girlfriend were awakened by loud noises, according to family friend Richard Sharpstein, who learned the details from Taylor's girlfriend, Jackie Garcia. He said Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection.Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said.

Just what is wrong with English football?

England has the wealthiest soccer league in the world, with matches screened across the globe and business tycoons from the United States, Russia and Asia lining up to own the clubs.

The Football Association now has plenty of time to search for a coach who can lift the nation credited with establishing the modern game to the same level.