LeBron, Newton, Gonzalez, and random observations on the wonderful world of sports

In the words of the great San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Scott Ostler, here are my deep thoughts, cheap shots, and bon mots:

---Once again, my heart goes out to the great sports fans in Cleveland. Haven't they experienced enough torture already? In what amounted to cruel and unusual punishment for a loyal fan base that has endured an immeasurable amount of sports devastation over the years, LeBron James made his long-awaited return to Cleveland on Thursday night. The fans did their part, loudly booing LeBron at every turn and coming up with a myriad of brilliantly clever chants. The electricity in the building was palpable. Forty-eight minutes later, however, LeBron's masterpiece was complete, and the Heat won in an absolute rout. Is life fair? No, my friends, it is not.

---As painful as it is to admit, Thursday's win may be a defining turning point for the Miami Heat. LeBron had easily his best game of the season, Dwayne Wade was on top of his game, and Chris Bosh finally stopped underachieving. If the Heat continue to play like they did on Thursday night, and in another impressive victory against the Hawks on Saturday night, then they truly do have a chance at achieving greatness.

---Here's hoping they flounder in mediocrity all season long, however. Miami remains the league's chief villains. In his postgame interview with TNT's Craig Sager, LeBron was as arrogant as ever, at one point referring to his greatness. C'mon LeBron, even Terrell Owens thinks your act is getting old.

---As for the Cavs, Thursday's shellacking was an utter embarrassment. The Cavs failed to respond to the energy of the fans, delivering a completely lethargic performance. Making matters worse, players like Jamario Moon were joyfully yapping with LeBron on the sideline. As Charles Barkley rightfully pointed out at halftime, the Cavaliers showed no fire or passion.

---Here come the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs followed their hugely impressive road win at the Jazz on Friday night with a gutsy comeback win at Sacramento on Saturday. Dirk Nowitzki is having one of his best seasons, Jason Kidd is an ageless wonder, and Caron Butler and Jason Terry are part of a deep, incredibly talented supporting cast. Rick Carlisle's team is an astonishing 8-1 on the road this season. But.......haven't we seen this before from the Mavs in the regular season?

---Year in and year out, Dallas is an elite regular season team. During the regular season, there are very few shots of Mark Cuban growling on the sideline, because the Mavs typically win. But when the playoffs roll around, the Mavs have a disturbing tendency to underachieve. So while I am undeniably impressed by their superb play so far this season---Friday's win at Utah was especially striking----the Mavs need to perform well in the playoffs before I shed my skepticism.

---Derrick Rose is incredible. Rose single-handedly carried the Bulls to a much-needed overtime win over the Rockets at the United Center on Saturday night. Rose drained a preposterous three with two defenders in his face to send the game into O.T., and he continued his heroics in the overtime period. Make no mistake: Rose is an elite player, and an elite point guard along with the likes of Paul, Williams, Rondo, Westbrook, and Nash.

---Speaking of the Bulls, there is further reason to be excited in Chicago, now that Carlos Boozer has made his debut. Boozer appeared somewhat rusty in his first couple games back from injury, but he should get back to his old self in no time. Now that Boozer is in the fold, the Bulls should start playing at a significantly higher level.

---On to college football now, where the BCS National Championship Game is set: Oregon and Auburn will battle on January 10 in Glendale, Arizona. My disdain for the BCS aside, this should be a magnificent, exciting game that will come down to the final seconds.

---Say what you want about his controversial off-the-field scandal, but there is no denying the fact that Cam Newton is an electrifying player. Much like quarterbacks Andrew Luck of Stanford and Denard Robinson of Michigan, Newton is a breathtaking talent, a surefire soon-to-be star in the NFL.

---However, as an Oregon resident, my allegiances lie with the Ducks in the title game. I am happy for Oregon, and have been thoroughly impressed with the dominant manner in which Chip Kelly's team has played all year. I hope Oregon beats Auburn, but can they at least get some better uniforms? The Ducks never fail to appall with their garish unis, and Saturday's game at Oregon State was a new fashion low. How can a team wear a uniform that features none of its school colors?

---On to the NFL now, where Week 13 promises to be thrilling and compelling. As a Niners fan, I will be selfishly glued to the Niners-Packers game in the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. But there are other huge games with playoff implications that I am giddy for as well, namely Falcons-Bucs, Steelers-Ravens, and of course, Jets-Patriots.

---My quick takes on those three affairs: Matt Ryan will wear down the Bucs defense as the Falcons win to all but end Tampa's playoff hopes.....Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and the bruising Baltimore D overcomes a valiant Pittsburgh effort to give the Ravens the victory.....and Mark Sanchez continues his strong play to bolster the Jets over Tom Brady and the Pats in what will be the best game of the week. So I like the Falcons, Ravens, and Jets, which means you should bet on the Bucs, Steelers, and Patriots.

---Baseball's winter meetings are this week in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and the first team to make a giant splash is the Boston Red Sox. Boston's signing of Adrian Gonzalez is a master stroke by Theo Epstein that should be enough to catapult the Red Sox back into the playoffs in 2011. Gonzalez, the former San Diego Padre, is a powerful hitter and a terrific defensive player who has never received the credit he deserves for being one of the game's best players. If the Red Sox stay healthy, they should leap ahead of the Rays and Yankees in the AL East.

---I will end with an appreciation of college basketball. The NBA is far and away my favorite sports league, but I still love the awesomeness of college hoops. College basketball is back and better than ever. In the words of the great Dick Vitale: "Yeah baby!!!!" Gotta love it.