Last call for 2010!

Canada faces Sweden today in World Junior Hockey play with first place at stake in Group A, which brings with it a bye to the semi-finals.  That would come in handy for a very beat up Canadian squad.  Puck drop is 4pm on TSN, great way to get the New Year's Eve festivities started early.  Be sure to check out yesterday's post and the comments section for a spirited diatribe by Bukakke and yours truly on the "hats during anthem" issue.

Jason Whitlock says that Rex Ryan needs to be less clown and more coach.

Here's a great bit on some of the best plays in sports in 2010, and you can get your votes in to rate them as well. Worth the time, though more than a few were highlighted in this space over the course of the year.  For me, Landon Donovan's goal for the U.S. at the World Cup was the play of the year.  Goosebumps.  Yes, moreso than Canada's Olympic Gold winning goal from Sydney Crosby even, which didn't make the cut.

Steve Simmons at The Toronto Sun gives us his view of the year in sports.

I'll leave the analysis of Octavio Dotel's signing by the Toronto Blue Jays to Fark.com: Octavio Dotel agrees to a one-year contract of choking in the 9th inning for the Blue Jays.  Drunk Jays Fan is similarly unimpressed.  Or furious.  One or the other. 

LeBron James now says that he didn't advocate for contraction, and needed to go to the internet to see what the word meant.  See kids, stay in school. 

Thanks for reminding us we're watching a "football game" with "football teams", idiot colour guy at The Music City Bowl.  Also, you don't need to start every sentence with "when you talk about..."  Just talk about it, FFS.

If you're a fan of the chalkboard quotes that Woody Paige uses on ESPN's Around The Horn, you can see them here.  Updated often.

Not sure how they managed it, but the good folks at The Bleacher Report managed to narrow down Mike Singletary's coaching run - and I'd bet hard he never gets another head coaching job - with the San Francisco 49ers to 10 Most Bizarre moments.

UFC 125 goes tomorrow night with Gray Maynard - a good guy I met in Las Vegas in November - facing Frankie Edgar for his Lightweight title. Full card here.  The prelims are airing on Rogers SportsNet, free of charge.  A bit of a blow yesterday to the potential card for Toronto with word that Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez suffered a torn rotator cuff in his title win over Brock Lesnar.  He'll be out 6-8 months now.

A couple UFC entries here in the Top 24 Knockouts of 2010.

Dallas Cowboys fans will not be lamenting this Sunday's game likely being the last with one Roy E. Williams.

You may recall a few weeks back that Edmonton Oiler Linus Omark took a verbal beating from the Tampa Bay Lightning after his spin move - nowhere near the net, mind you - before scoring in a shootout against the Bolts.  Funny, I don't hear the Bolts crying now that Steve Stamkos pulled a similar move in tight against the Montreal Canadiens last night.  Hockey's "codes" are no less a joke than baseball's.

Complex delivers the best 90 women of the 1990's.  Some real blasts from the past here.

I read a reference to Chris Bosh yesterday that called him "Ringo".  Freaking awesome.

20 fantastic Bar Rafaeli photos, and some fresh Megan Fox ones.  You're welcome.

Before we close the day, there will be a brief entry tomorrow morning.  You're going to want to see it for sure.  Be safe tonight, don't drink and drive.  Catch you on the other side.

Now THIS is how you get jacked up for a soccer game.  Oh wait...the kids are 10-year olds?  Wild video from Poland.  Remember this the next time you hear an announcer talk about a "raucous" NBA/NFL/NHL/MLB crowd.