Boxing Day

A few technical issues cost me a good chunk of today's RM. Here it is, take 2, in addition to the below entry.

Is it too late to throw Phillip Rivers into the MVP discussion? Rivers was dynamite in leading his San Diego Chargers to another December win. Shocked the Tennessee Titans were pounded 52-17 like that at home. It would not shock me to see the Bolts in the Super Bowl.

The big free agent signing of last off-season, Albert Haynesworth, is tired of the Washington Redskins system and their losing ways and wants out. He was also sent home for disciplinary reasons this week. Just the kind of thing I like to see around a team with my Dallas Cowboys set to visit tomorrow.

The LA Clippers are 8-1 against Minnesota, Golden State, Memphis, Philadelphia and Washington and 4-16 against everyone else, including 1-10. against teams above .500.

The LA Lakers were crushed at home last night by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Lakers fans were so in the Christmas mood that they pelted the court late in the game with foam fingers and at least one water bottle. Classy.

The World Junior Hockey Championships start today for host Canada. This is definitely one of my fav traditions of the sporting year, and usually reminds me how great a game hockey can be without goonery and other "part of the game" nonsense more prevalent in the NHL. Canada faces xxx today in Saskatoon.

The English Premier League continues its torrid December schedule. Up today in terms of interesting matchups are xxxxx

Can't figure why the NFL would have a game last night but not today. Odd.

Elephants (Live)

Merry Christmas all...enjoy.

Merry Christmas!

A Merry Christmas to all, or whatever it is you're celebrating today.

Not a tonne going in the sporting world today, but the NBA as always has some juicy matchups at the ready. Up today are five games, including Cleveland visiting the LA Lakers in what should be a dandy. That one goes at 2:30 on ABC. The rest of the games here.

The NFL gives us a game tonight, with San Diego visiting Tennessee. Kickoff there is 7:30. With San Diego having their division wrapped up and traveling across the country to play on Christmas Day, and Tennessee desperately needing a win, you have to like the Titans today at -3.

Seems Manchester City didn't take into account one important factor when they axed manager Mark Hughes last weekend: that the players may revolt. Welcome to Manchester, Roberto Mancini. Good luck.

Chelsea/Germany midfielder Michael Ballack weighs in on who he feels are the World Cup favs next year. He lists Brazil, Italy, England and France as favs and ranks them ahead of his own squad. Normally, I find such honesty refreshing, but you know with Ballack it was delivered with total smugness.

The LA Clippers #1 pick in last year's draft is a step closer to returning and making his debut - does that make sense? Can't wait to see Blake Griffin take his game to the big leagues. Shame about the whole Clipper thing, though.

Rick Reilly at ESPN The Magazine does an overview of the Tiger Woods fiasco of the last month or so. Solid read. He cites Tiger's legendary cheapness as a main cause.

Jersey Shore sound board? Hell yes I want that.

And finally on this day, the 40 Hottest WAGs of 2009.

Have a great Christmas.

Battle of the Brutal

Guess Shannon Brown of the LA Lakers wasn't aware that cameras were rolling when he was busy getting changed last night.

The Minnesota T-Wolves and New Jersey Nets faced each other last night in the swamps of Jersey. Their records entering were a combined 7-50. Attendance was listed at 10,204 but if you saw the "hilites", there's no way it was even half that.

The Cleveland Browns are looking into whether Eric Mangini violated terms of his contract so they can fire him and save paying out the remainder of his salary. Would it shock anyone if they kept him on to save the cash if they find they don't have cause, other than him being a terrible coach, of course?

After losing on Sunday, New York Jet coach Rex Ryan figured his team was out of the playoff hunt, only to be informed later they weren't. Donovan McNabb Not Knowing Games Can End In A Tie thinks that's ridiculous.

Another Top 10 goals of the year from the soccer world. Never get tired of these.

Manny Pacquiao/Floyd Mayweather could be off as Manny is refusing to undergo a full drug test within 30 days of the fight, as demanded by Money May. Manny cites superstition as a reason to not do it. In this day and age, does anybody buy that? Take the test, make your $40-$50 million. Thanks to ROTR for that piece.

Check out these 10 quickest and funniest knockouts from the MMA and boxing worlds. Awesome stuff. #4 is still my fav.

Have a great Christmas Eve, and yes, back in the morning.

Old Has Been Knows All, Or So He Thinks

Good of the Toronto Star to run numbers "for the 30" MLB teams payrolls for 2009 but only include 23 teams in actuality. They trying to make the Jays stipend look low-end when it is really middle, even with a nearly 15% cut from 2008?

Talk about what comes around, goes around. The New York Yankees traded Javier Vazquez in 2004 after he gave up that game 7 grand-slam to then Boston Red Sock Johnny Damon. Vazquez was acquired in a trade for Nick Johnson, whose signing by the Yanks last week likely means the end of Damon's stay in The Bronx. Seems like that great movie Crash, no? With the Vazquez move, and the Sox loading up, Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports says the rest of the East should just pack it in. Well, duh.

Speaking of Boston, the ice is down at Fenway Park for the Winter Classic that will see the Philadelphia Flyers face the Boston Bruins. Check out the time lapse vid here. And why is it time lapse vids are always playing banjo's in the background?

If anyone can explain why people are generally pricks at this time of year if you're out and about, I'd love to hear it. People act like they're the only ones that have things to get done and places to be.

Snow + Philadelphia Eagles Fan Spotting 49ers Fans In Their Midst = Good times. Check out these two 49er fans getting pelted on Sunday. They hung in their longer than Ben Roethlesberger hangs in the face of a pass rush.

Some serious work goes into making Jabulani, the official game ball of the World Cup 2010.

If you have 27 kids, your first name can only be Philander, no? Yep, Philander Rodman. That's a name a porn star should have. And yes, Dennis is but one.

SI gives us their top 20 male athletes of the decade. Absolute hilarity that Derek Jeter ranks ahead of Alex Rodriguez here, that's the first list I've seen Jeter rank in the top 20 on and never ahead of A-Rod.

The Old Has Been figures not only should he decide if and when he comes out of games, he should also decide how he runs the offence. Knock me over with a feather, #4 thinks he knows more than everyone else?

Thanks for showing up, Oregon State.

Have a great Wednesday.

Skinned in Washington

The New York Giants thrust themselves back into the playoff picture with a thorough dismantling of the Washington Redskins last night, 45-12. Wonder if Mike Shanahan is backing away from the negotiating table after that one?

Johnny Damon hosted Monday Night Raw last night. Guess that's the best deal his agent Scott Boras could swing him after overplaying his hand thinking he'd pull another four year deal out of the New York Yankees and they moved on. Don't want to crack on Damon too badly - he'll always be one of my fav players.

You know what's annoying? Those half page ads that newspapers have covering half of the front page. Just check out the Toronto Star someday. Lame.

I get that in the NBA that rallies happen, but they shouldn't happen if you're up 35 in the third quarter no matter who you are and no matter who you're playing. But, the Chicago Bulls went and blew such a lead last night - at home! - to that powerhouse known as the Sacramento Kings.

In a blast from the past, the Yankees are about to add another workhorse to their rotation, allegedly dealing - again - for Javier Vazquez, a guy I long ago said they never should've dealt when they decided to keep that plank Kevin Brown over J.V. There is also talk of Josh Johnson in the mix, who would be about my fav Christmas present this year. Not sure how much you all follow the Florida Marlins, but Johnson is a man.

Frequent contributor T.S. responded to my query as to why Derek Jeter wasn't at Curtis Granderson's presser but A-Rod and CC Sabathia were by saying they couldn't or wouldn't accommodate his schedule. My reply: the Yankees know who really carries the freight.

Check out Hannah Storm whoring it up. Cougariffic.

If you're wondering, yes, RM will be going straight through the holiday season, occasionally impeded by hangovers or family proceedings, but will definitely be up daily.

Back tomorrow, have a great Tuesday.

A bevy of lists

AskMen.com give us their Top 10 Sports Moments for 2009. Pretty heavily North American influenced, but take it for what it is. Not sure how Chicago White Sock Mark Buehrle's no hitter and the catch by Dwayne Wise that kept it alive wasn't included.

Dave Feschuk at the Toronto Star takes another of his regular digs - and deservedly so - at the Toronto Raptors. The bright light for the squad is they played 30 games in 53 days, tops in the NBA, and then next 30 will be spread over 74 days. In other Raptors news, they're ready to show such love for their fans that they've declared February 3rd's game against the New Jersey Nets as "Fan Night" and are even rolling in - wait for it! - Vanilla Ice for entertainment. What, MC Hammer wasn't available?

Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolous has already managed to do something his predecessor JP Ricciardi never did: have a back and forth with fans where he doesn't smugly talk down to them. A long but good read.

The Denver Broncos/Oakland Raiders game yesterday was stopped for a time because of fans were using lasers on players. Why is it I can't hear the word "laser" without thinking of Dr. Evil of Austin Powers fame?

The Philadelphia Flyers are shopping Jeff Carter, and are said to have turned down a deal with the Montreal Canadiens for goalie Jaroslav Halak. If you're the Montreal Canadiens, you do that deal in a heartbeat.

Check out the NHL's Christmas video featuring Igor Larionov's daughter's and plenty of cameo's by players, who love to show that they can spell one word each on a piece of paper. Bryan McCabe even stretches and uses two words!

Here's Paul Lukas at ESPN's Page 2 with his look on how to fix the more annoying aspects of the NFL. Great stuff.

It isn't often a week goes by here without some appearance by WAGs, and this is no different. Today, we go and look at the 50 Hottest WAGs of the Decade.

The NFL Playoff picture is starting to come clearer after most of Week 15 was completed yesterday. Here's a peak at what the playoffs look like at the moment, including a Dallas visit to Philadelphia that would see those two teams playing back to back games. How ugly would that Week 17 game be if both teams are trying to not show the other their tricks? Some wild games yesterday, including Pittsburgh's last gasp win over Green Bay, a deluge of points in a Cleveland win over Kansas City, and a last second win by Tennessee. What was a bigger upset - Dallas beating New Orleans, or Carolina beating Minnesota? I'm thinking Dallas, largely because I don't believe Minnesota is that good and it is The Old Has Been in December.

Have a great Monday.

With his Cleveland Browns at 2-11, talk of Mike Holmgren coming in to take over, and already a reputation for overworking his players and having ridiculous rules, you'd think Mike Mangini might look to get off the gas some and see if that changes his results - the definition of insanity being doing the same thing and expecting different results, after all. So what does Manginious do? Puts the squad through a 3.5 hour practice. In pads. If they weren't playing the weak Kansas City Chiefs, I'd wager heavily on the Browns to get slaughtered as they'll likely lay down rather than play for a coach they hate. May well happen anyways.

Minnesota Vikes QB The Old Has Been is musing how he'd pack it in if the Vikes win the Super Bowl. Two things: They're not winning the Super Bowl, and he's going to tease us with retirement again, because he thinks the world should care.

Add the FIFA Club World Cup to Barelona's impressive 2009. They beat Estudiantes, the South American champion, 2-1 to claim the trophy yesterday. That's Barca's sixth trophy for the season.

Chad Ochocino plans to wear Chris Henry's #15 tomorrow in honour of his late teammate. Of course, the NFL would likely fine him big time for such a move, and the NFL Players Union has vowed to pay the fine if they do. I'd say there's no way the league does, but they got on players for honouring Pat Tillman in the past, and he's a freaking war hero.

What is more stunning? Liverpool losing 2-0 on the road to last place Portsmouth, or Manchester United losing 3-0 at Craven Cottage to Fulham? Literally at a loss. United's in a world of trouble with seven defenders off with injuries, and have had to resort to midfielders playing in the back. Clearly, that isn't working.

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes was fired yesterday despite having a league low two losses in 17 games on the year. Problem is he only guided City to 7 wins over that time, and 2 in the last 11. Still seems an odd move.

Big D visit The Big Easy

The NFL finds itself under pressure with tomorrow night's game - Dallas at New Orleans - buried on the NFL Network. Great idea, take one of your marquee teams, put them as the only game on a Saturday in December at a team most figured would be a contender and bury it on the NFL Network and have it turn out that one is fighting for its playoff life and the other is shooting for perfection. Sound familiar? Same thing happened two years ago when the New England Patriots were shooting for perfection on a Saturday when they visited the New York Giants. Of course, that isn't a problem in Canada, where the game airs regardless. I wouldn't bet the Cowboys to cover the +7 if you gave me the money. This one could get REAL ugly.

Tiger Woods made the cover of the New York Post yesterday for the 20th straight day, a record that surpassed something called "9-11". At least it isn't getting ridiculous. William Hill bookmakers are offering odds on how much Elin Nordegren will walk away with in the divorce settlement. Also yesterday came word that Tiger cut a deal with the National Enquirer in 2007 to keep pictures of him and a lady in a vehicle out of the rag.

The English Premier League sees its teams playing their third game in eight days today, and that means advantage to the big name teams as they generally have lots more depth. But with Liverpool already losing to last place Portsmouth, that theory could be seriously tested.

Remember the Philadelphia Phillies fan who offered to trade sex for World Series tickets? Come to find out she offered the two (undercover) cops a chance to "DP" her. Yep, double penetrate. Classy.

The Minnesota Wild had all their equipment torched in a fire in Ottawa. Are you like me, shocked that even fire would go near hockey gear without a HAZMAT suit? Somewhere, the crooks at Pro Line are getting ideas for a future ad.

Here's a quote:“If you made that big a mistake, you’ve got to come out and just be contrite, be honest and just tell the public that ‘I was wrong.’ Waiting a long time got a lot of people polarized. … If he would have come out earlier, he would’ve diffused a little more of it.” Subject: Michael Vick's handling of the story by not handling it after the dog fighting stories came to light. Who said it? Tiger Woods, back in 2007.

Have a great Saturday, see you tomorrow morning.

RM returns Saturday...

Two guys go to the cup

Another night, another loss well into double digits for the Toronto Raptors as they fell 118-99 in Orlando. 28 games in and they're 11-17. Is it too early to say the latest Bryan Colangelo version of the Raptors is a failure? Is it offside to say he's on the road to being JP Ricciardi, v2.0?

The Associated Press voted Tiger Woods the athlete of the decade, a particularly impressive feat for a guy who doesn't play a sport.

Could it be that the Philadelphia Flyers fortunes - losers of 11 of 14 - are a result of Jeff Carter banging Scott Hartnell's wife instead of banging home goals? That's one rumor coming out of the City of Brotherly Love.

Dom Bonvissutto at SI.com takes a peak at the playoff pretenders and contenders with three weeks to go in the NFL schedule. Check it out to find out which team he figures stays undefeated and which doesn't.

Next up for the Boston Red Sox: a trade for San Diego Padre Adrian Gonzalez. No clue why the Pads would trade a local boy and awesome player, other than they're the Padres and that's what they do.

The Houston Rockets are playing back to back games four times over the course of two weeks. Merry Christmas, Rockets!

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese was caught driving under the influence and blew a mere .232, exactly 100 points below his career batting average, albeit in only 17 games. Tool.

Check out this listing of the 40 Hottest Female Athletes of the Decade.

ESPN ranks the Top 100 baseball players of the decade, and have there ever been some incredible players this decade. You too can vote for your top guys here.

The NHL is looking to do a pair of Winter Classics next year, one New Year's Day as has been the recent tradition, and adding one on "Hockey Day in Canada" in February in Canada.

Toronto FC's Amado Guevara has left the team and signed with a club in his homeland of Honduras. With him having a less than great history with new TFC coach Preki, this is hardly surprising.

The Buffalo Bills have signed free agent Richie Incognito, which led to the injured BillsKawika Mitchell tweeting this gem linebacker : "BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT THIS YR. THE GUYS A BUM. DIRTY AND ALWAYS WILL BE. REALLY WISH I WAS PLAYIN RITE NOW. SERIOUSLY... I KNO WE'RE N NEED OF OLINE BUT THIS GUY SUKS BALLS." Lovely stuff.

Have a great Thurday.

The big trade: who won?

The three players that the Toronto Blue Jays acquired for Roy Halladay are all former first round draft picks, for what it's worth. About the only thing analysts agree on in analyzing the deal is that the Seattle Mariners are definitely on the plus side of the trade. Could actually be a rare one where all three end up winning once all is said and done. That said, the Jays are on the riskiest end of it simply because young talent is so hit and miss. Here's Jayson Stark's take at ESPN.com. Steve Simmons at the Toronto Sun offers up this great look at Halladay's time in Toronto.

In the 152 games last season played by Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal - the Big Four of the English Premier League - they combined to lose 17 games. This year, they've combined to lose 17 after a mere 63 games. There's another batch of EPL games going today as the busy Christmas season is now in full swing.

Rest easy, Toronto FC fans, the CFL has told the Argos that BMO Field is not suitable as a home for them. Something about too much atmosphere. But seriously, the Argos don't even have a lease at Rogers Centre. How hilarious would it be if they were shut out of there, too?

Check out New York Giant Terrell Thomas mocking Philadelphia Eagle Brent Celek when he was screaming for a penalty. Awesome.

The Oakland Raiders have signed QB JP Losman to a deal, because you can never have enough first round busts suiting up in black and silver.

Tiger's wife Elin is said to be ready to meet with a top divorce lawyer in California, and is targetting half of Eldrick's fortune. Tiger has been on the cover of the New York Post for 16 straight days. I'm sure he's thrilled by that coverage. In those 16 days, we've got one busted up Cadillac, four busted up teeth from a flying BlackBerry, at least 15 ladies he's had affairs with, allegations of prostitution, performance enhancing drugs, payoffs, lost sponsorship deals, and now possible divorce. Some guys don't achieve that in a lifetime. But fear not, Tiger, because Ron Artest has some advice for you. Ron Artest. Writes. Very. Poorly.

SI.com is running a poll on the decade's biggest NBA draft bust. Good news, Raptors fans, Rafael Araujo is representing.

Beck's "Loser" gets the "literal video" treatment. If you've not seen these before, well worth a view.

Dallas Cowboys wideout Roy Williams might want to stay in his lane and not bate the New Orleans Saints by saying the Cowboys will show up on Saturday and win in The Big Easy. They're more likely to get annihilated, truth told. Hate that guy.

The always off side Tucker Max tweets: Oral Roberts dead @ 91. Survived by his brother Anal Roberts & sister Vaginal Roberts. His brother's an asshole and his sister's a cunt.

Halladay dealt

It seems a Roy Halladay trade is a done deal though Toronto Blue Jays GM says he`ll have nothing to say for a few days, which sounds like a signing window for Halladay has been opened. The deal would see Halladay off to Philadelphia, with three Phillies - outfielder Michael Taylor, catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud and pitcher Kyle Drabek -- moving to Toronto. Also, Cliff Lee moves from the Phillies and goes to the Seattle Mariners for pitching prospect Phillippe Aumont. There is also talk of $6 million moving to Philadelphia as the scenarios keep changing.

Prediction: the Blue Jays will average fewer attendees per game than Toronto FC and the Argos next season. Another: they`ll finish last in the AL East.

A great one from the Toronto Sun`s Gary Loewen on the Jays dealing of Halladay: ``It seems they have failed to insist that pitcher J.A. Happ be included in any trade. Y’know, so we could quit calling them the hapless Jays.``

John Lackey signed with the Boston Red Sox for five years and $87.5 million. Ought to be fun seeing two of the bigger pricks in the game - Lackey and Josh Beckett - on the same side. The Yankees backed off of Lackey because of health concerns, and his annual arm troubles the last two years. Interesting that Boston jumped but desperate teams do desperate things.

Spent the night at the Air Canada Centre last night taking in the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. Not sure who was more asleep, the crowd or Senators centre - say that fast three times! - Jason Spezza. Not sure Spezza broke a sweat last night. Incredible how many empty seats there are in the lower bowl, saw at least five in a row empty in the golds where I was four times, pairs too many times to count, and plenty of private boxes sitting vacant. The Leafs were 3-2 winners in an incredibly dull game, and while they sit 13th in the Eastern Conference, they`re also a mere six points out of third, thanks to the NHL`s convoluted point system. And don`t look now, Habs fans, but they`re two points behind Les Glorieux with a game in hand. Hope Don Cherry loves the picture at right, with four guys rocking shields.

Olivia Munn in Maxim. You`re welcome.

Frequent reader and occasional contributor TS wonders why the goal posts in the NFL aren`t higher to give a better view on some close kicks. Hell of a question.

GBVH passes on speculation that a Macedonia and Canada soccer game was fixed recently. Check this out. If stories like this interest you, be sure to get this book.

The Dallas Cowboys experimented with their giant screen on Sunday and airing the game in 3D. Problem was it left fans nauseated, though some might say that was happening with or without the screen. No confirmation if a close-up of Norv Turner sent some scurrying for barf bags.

And now comes word that a doctor who was treating Tiger Woods has been busted for possessing and allegedly distributing performance enhancing drugs. This is just getting better by the minute.

Indianapolis and New Orleans remain undefeated heading into Week 15. The Colts wrapped up home field advantage through the playoffs with their 28-16 win over Denver yesterday, a game in which receiver Brandon Marshall set a record with 21 receptions in the losing effort, beating Terrell Owens record of 20. The Saints narrowly beat the Atlanta Falcons 26-23 in another close win for them. And who, other than Miami Dolphins fans, wouldn't love to see both roll to the Super Bowl unbeaten to shut those bitter old men from 1972 up once and for all?

As of right now, the Miami Dolphins, despite losing their starting quarterback and running back that started the season, are sitting in a playoff position. Impressive.

San Diego has won 16 straight December games now and 8 straight this season after yesterday's 20-17 win at Dallas, and it wasn't as close as the score suggests. Chargers linebacker Tim Robbins laughed at the Cowboys play calling on offence and how predictable they were, particularly when they got the ball on the Chargers one yard line and tried three straight run plays, virtually identical. Safe to say that Jason Garrett's stock continues to fall. As for Tony Romo, he's played real well in the last two games, but not enough going on around him. And is it me, or does Marion Barber not look right? He's either hit the wall real young or he's hurt.

If you missed the Philadelphia Eagles visit to the Meadowlands in New Jersey to face the New York Giants last night, you missed a killer game. The Eagles won a slugfest 45-38 to move to the top of the NFC East at 9-4. The Giants are in trouble at 7-6. The Cowboys sit sandwiched between the two at 8-5 but with visits to New Orleans and Washington coming the next two weeks, and a close hosting Philly, it wouldn't shock me if they finished 8-8.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney said that at last count, there were 266 free agents in baseball. That's an incredible number, and you have to figure that there is going to be a flurry of activity soon and plenty of bargains to be had for those that aren't first tier guys.

A potential Team Canada hockey player for the 2010 Olympics had a rough bowel movement this morning. Coverage to follow at every major media outlet shortly.

The Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons tweets: "If the TTC won't Ashley Madison to advertise on their buses, maybe they should contact the PGA Tour for advertising." Or at least Tiger Woods. Ashley Madison, if you aren't aware, is a firm that hooks up discreet extra-marital affairs.

Speaking of Eldrick, Accenture - one of his major sponsors - has dropped him saying he's "no longer the right representative."

And going from fired to quit, cornerback Chris Gamble of the Carolina Panther's says that he thinks Randy Moss quit on the New England Patriots yesterday because he was frustrated early that he was being doubled and not getting the ball when he wanted it. Oh, no, not Randy Moss!?

Not sure how many of you venture in to read the responses that come, but if you've not been reading B. Kennedy's "air defends better than Jose Calderon, and I've got the stats to prove it!" stuff, you're missing out. Amazing stuff. Hilarious, and true apparently.

Have a great Monday.

Dirty Sanchez

The Dallas Cowboys struggles in December go well beyond Wade Phillips. They're 19-32 since 1996. No easy one today with San Diego visiting, but something tells me the Cowboys get it done today. They best, as things in the NFC East are getting real tight. A Dallas loss and a NY Giants win over Philadelphia would see all three tied at 8-5.

It'll be interesting to see if the Minnesota Vikings can beat a good team playing well today in the form of the Cincinnati Bengals.

UFC107 is in the books and the co-main events were explosive. Frank Mir dropped a bomb on Chiek Kongo and finished him with a guillotine just 1:12 into the first round. BJ Penn put on an incredible show in stopping Diego Sanchez in the fifth and final round. Total domination, and Penn looks untouchable at 155lbs. Sanchez looked like he'd been in a car wreck, especially a nasty cut to the forehead that led to the end of the fight, which was almost over in the first 30 seconds. Guess when Sanchez vowed "it's my time..." the unsaid part was "...to get whipped by BJ".

The fine folks at ProFootballTalk raise the idea that Tom Brady could be on the downward slope. Not sure I buy that for a guy just coming off a major knee surgery. Interesting to read the Pats have lost four games they lead at the half. Interesting debate I've heard this week: who is the QB of the decade, Brady or Peyton Manning?

Chelsea had two goals from Didier Drogba but blew two leads yesterday en route to a 3-3 draw with Everton. And with a chance to grab a piece of the lead had they beaten Aston Villa, Manchester United lost 1-0. Villa have beaten Man Utd, Liverpool, and Chelsea this season and now sit fourth in what is shaping up as the most volatile EPL season in years. Arsenal beat Liverpool this morning 2-1, continuing a terrible run for 'pool.

Michael Schumacher will come out of retirement next year to drive for the Mercedes team. I know what you're thinking and the answer is "yes, F1 still exists."

Don't assume the LA Lakers are going to continue to play .857 ball the rest of the year and run away with the Western Conference. They have played 17 of 21 games at home, after all.

Die Hard - Christmas movie or not?

See the video of the New Orleans Saints fan who thought the Saints would lose to the Redskins last week, and told his buddies they could shoot his TV if he was wrong? Hilarious. So much so very wrong with this video that it is right. Oh, and here's the significance of the "who dat?" that they keep repeating.

The EPL sched has nine games on the go today, including leaders Chelsea facing Everton. The most intriguing matchup of the weekend goes tomorrow when Arsenal faces Liverpool. It'll be interesting to see if Liverpool can get back in the race after they officially crashed out of the Champions League earlier in the week.

UFC 107 goes tonight from Memphis, Tennessee and the main event should be an absolute firecracker as the always entertaining Diego Sanchez takes on Lightweight Champion BJ Penn. That could end up being fight of the year material to close out the year for UFC. Frank Mir will take on Chieck Kongo in a fight that will not be subtle, shall we say, and the never-a-dull-moment Clay Guida faces Kenny Florian as well. The entire card here.

Another night on the wrong end of a beatdown by the Atlanta Hawks for the Toronto Raptors, and Chris Bosh sounds defeated, or at least honest, about the teams position relative to the Hawks.

Tiger Woods is taking an indefinite leave from golf. Right, because what Tiger needs is less structure. No word on if he's taking an indefinite leave from adultery.

Proving that there is a sucker born every minute, the Ice Edge group that was in on the Phoenix Coyotes bidding back in the summer has signed a letter of intent to purchase the team and keep it in Phoenix. Good luck with that.

Oakland Raiders bust of a QB Jamarcus Russell says he was embarrassed to be benched. If he thinks that's bad, he should've seen the way he was playing.

Check out the FIFA Puskas Award nominees also known as the top ten goals of the year. If I've got a vote, Ronaldo's bullet from another area code gets it, or perhaps Fernando Torres goal that immediately follows it in the video below.

Brown Town

Not sure there are many who figured that the Pittsburgh Steelers would lose to either the Oakland Raiders or Cleveland Browns this year, nevermind doing so in back to back weeks. Stick a fork in the defending Super Bowl champions, they are DONE after losing 13-6 last night in Cleveland. It was only the Browns second win on the year to move them to 2-11, while the Steelers fall to 6-7 on their fifth straight loss.

Former NHLer and now SportsNet hockey analyst Nik Kypreos thinks that shootout goals should count in the standings. Makes sense, when you remember his career ended with a severe concussion.

Worried that their first appearance on national TV (ESPN) in years won't look good, the Sacramento Kings went for the tried and true to pack the house next week. Free tickets? Nope. $1 beers.

Check out this long and oftentimes hilarious read from ESPN's Rick Reilly looking at tattoo's being sported by NBAers. I think Udonis Haslem wins for worst, or Kenyon Martin for (no pun intended) body of work.

Hope you're sitting down for this earth shattering news. Barry Bonds agent says his clients baseball days are over. Well, knock me over with a feather.

My hate for all-star games has been well documented in these parts, and certainly so for fan voting. Why? Because you get situations like Tracy McGrady being voted in as the starting guard for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star game if the polls closed today. T-Mac hasn't played for most of the calendar year.

Chad Ochocinco is said to be contemplating another name change. No, really. He may drop "Ochocinco" for "Hachi Go", Japanese for "Eight Five", of course. Amazing. He should get a new name every month or something.

Not sure how good the Toronto Blue Jays will be in 2010, but their broadcasts are in for a huge improvement now that Jamie Campbell is out as play-by-play voice, and the awesome Buck Martinez is in (yes, as play-by-play). Shame the Jays couldn't pull Dan Shulman back in to partner with Buck - those two were great together.

Now that Tiger Woods is taking some abuse in public from fans, a couple PGA players are following Jesper Parnevik's lead and hammering Eldrick, or as he was dubbed on the Jim Rome Show: Adulterick. Ben Crane called him a "phony and a fake" and a "bastard" by Charles Warren, though both are now denying having made those comments.

Do yourself a favor and watch Jersey Shore, whether you've got MTV or have to download it, it must be seen.

Word to the wise, when in the presence of explosives, never dip your chewing gum into said explosives and begin to chew again. Turns out it can blow half your face off and result in death, as one Ukranian gent found out the hard way.

Milwaukee Massacre

Under coach Norv Turner, or QB Phillip Rivers if you prefer, the San Diego Chargers have won their last 15 games in December. Of course, they're in Dallas this weekend to face Wade Phillips Cowboys who are years away from winning 15 total in December under his coaching regime.

Seem Tom Brady's comments about his teams preparations were on the money as word now comes that four Patriots, including Randy Moss, were sent home after showing up late for practice.

If you believed that the NFL's socialistic ways of propping up lower revenue franchises was bound to last forever, then you won't like hearing news that the league has pulled the plug on a revenue stream that feeds $100 million to lower end teams. Mix in an un-capped year in 2010 and things could change a whole bunch in what many view as the perfect competitive set-up.

There is talk that there is an unspoken agreement among teams to let Tim Tebow slide to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the next draft. Tebow, a local boy, could put some rears in seats and really turn the fortunes of the franchise around. That said, if I'm the Jags, I'd be real concerned that teams would let a guy - any guy - slide to me. A competitive league isn't magnanimous that way.

Speaking of Tebow, here's a look at him and the The Crying Game: The Ten Biggest Crybabies in Sports.

If you ever think you're on a bad gambling run, it could be worse, unless your name is Terrance Watanabe. T-Dub lost a mere $127 million in Vegas in a year-long gambling run.

It has been almost a week since the World Cup 2010 draw and you can see the groups, the schedule, and some scantily clad fans of each and every team here.

And if those 32 ladies aren't enough, how about just one? RM fav Bar Rafaeli, 100 pics worth.

Chad Ochocinco was fined $30,000 by the No Fun League for using a sombrero in a touchdown celebration, and says the more they increase the fines, the more he'll increase the fun factor. Love it.

After a three game winning streak gave fans some hope that the Raptors were turning it around, along came the second night of a back-to-back and they were hammered 117-95 in Milwaukee.

Raps rolling?

Is it a coincidence that Toronto Raptors point guard Jose Calderon missed last night's game and the Raps actually held an opponent to under 100 points? Methinks not. Yes, I know playing Minnesota helped, but Calderon's numbers show he's a black hole on the defensive end. B. Kennedy, we await stats. The Raps have now won three straight after bottoming out in Atlanta last week.

Of all the upsets you'd have thought possible in yesterday's Champions League play, you probably wouldn't have figured on Juventus to flame out 4-1 at home even against a team as strong as Bayern Munich. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a pair for Real Madrid, including a beauty from long distance, as Real advanced with a 3-1 win over Marseille. CR9 leads the Champions League in scoring with six. Today, Group F is full of possibilities with all four teams within three points of each other with the last game to go today. Not much of note beyond that, certainly not like yesterday.

Love that Curtis Granderson deal for the New York Yankees. He's a witch in the field, has speed to burn, has a good contract, and could hit 40HR's hitting full time at Yankee Stadium (he had 30 this year, but only 10 came at the massive Comerica Park). If they can cut down his whiffs, even better. And hey, we wears #28 so hopefully that's a good omen for a team looking for title #28. Tom Verducci at SI.com salutes the efficiency of the Yankees in making this move. For Arizona, they loaded up with a lot of young talent, and it is a real shame seeing the Detroit Tigers unload key pieces like that. Another rust belt team suffering.

Don't think that rules the Yankees out of the Roy Halladay Stakes yet as the Blue Jays are said to covet Jesus Montero more than anyone from what I'm reading, and Joel Sherman at the NY Post says the Yanks are stepping up their chase of Halladay. If I'm the Jays, I think I want Phil Hughes more than Joba Chamberlain, too. Joba is a little too tightly wound and the line between greatness and mediocrity is thin for him at times. But, he's just 24 so if he can get his lid on straight, still plenty of time and he's shown he can be a top flight pitcher in spurts. Definitely don't see both getting moved. The Yankees also have plenty of catching options and as Montero isn't their highest ranked, it wouldn't shock me if a Halladay deal still gets done.

If you're at all a hardcore baseball fan like yours truly, it will come as a bit of a downer that Peter Gammons is leaving ESPN and moving to the MLB Network and Boston station NESN. Shame a guy with that kind of history and connections is going lower profile.

Gatorade has shelved plans for a "Tiger Focus" drink and says the timing has nothing to do with Tiger's adventures the last two weeks. There is talk it may be re-branded "Tiger Trysts". And now comes talk that there are naked photos of Eldrick that Playgirl may be looking to run. Honestly, this stuff is amazing. Has a guy had things unravel so quick? If he doesn't hit that tree a few weeks back, does any of this come to light right now?

Most annoying thing about the Tiger Woods talk: the constant "world's most famous athlete" talk. That's nonsense. He doesn't approach the likes of David Beckham or Cristiano Ronaldo who are known literally everywhere, or guys like Michael Schumacher, retired though he may be. Honestly, do you think anyone in Central or South America or vast swaths of Africa and the Middle East knows Tiger? Come on.

Sports Illustrated is running a poll to ask who the biggest steal of NFL drafts was this decade. If anyone votes for someone other than Tom Brady, they're on glue.

If you believe the past dictates the future, then the Washington Nationals should be headed to the playoffs in the next year or two. After all, that's what happens with any team that has Pudge Rodriguez behind the plate, no?

I'd like to state for the record that if you think cleaning your car off of snow just means flicking your wipers on and off, you're a loser.

Have a great Wednesday.