Chilly chilled

Looks like it wasn't just a guess here yesterday that the Green Bay Packers may have authored the demise of two rival coaches.  Brad Childress did indeed get the boot in Minnesota.  In related news, NFL analyst Rodney Harrison says here that it is time to put Brett Favre out of his misery.  Why?  We were just starting to have some fun?  For his part, Favre is giving hints he may pack it in immediately.

Sure, Peyton Manning's interception thrown in the red zone aided a few teams in his division in their playoff hunt, but you don't expect a rival QB - Jacksonville Jaguar David Garrard in this case - to tweet out "Thanks Peyton.  U da man???"

A wild weekend in the English Premier League, with Tottenham rallying from a pair down in the second half to beat rival Arsenal 3-2.  Chelsea shockingly lost again, this time 1-0 to Birmingham despite dominating, which allowed Manchester United to pull even in the Premier League with their 2-0 win over Wigan.  Sure, United may have seven draws in 14 games, but "undefeated" sounds a lot more like championship material than a team with four losses in 14, which is the case with Chelsea.   Mix in Arsenal and Manchester City and there are four teams within three points of first place.  Going to be a wild race, though United defender Patrice Evra expects his team to take the title.

Canadian boy Joey Votto was the runaway NL MVP winner, with 31 of 32 first place votes.

The Miami Heat were pounded at home 93-77 by the not-exactly-powerhouse Indiana Pacers. What a crying shame.

Turns out those NFL uniforms for next year turned out to be fakes.  Depending on your team, major relief.

Jason Whitlock has a great look at how important it is to treat being a quarterback as a full-time job, something that Brett Favre and Vince Young have failed to do.

Turkey's Hamit Altintop provides a lighning bolt for the latest FIFA Goal of the Year nominee.  What a bomb this is.

Don't get too hot now, Buffalo Bills, or you may miss out on drafting Andrew Luck.  Check out the run - and thundering shoulder - Luck dropped on the weekend.

Arsenal outgunned

The LA Dodgers are now a perfect - and MLB record - 12-0 at home to open the year. They're going to destroy that division and have it wrapped up by mid-August, if not sooner...Denver Nugget Carmelo Anthony gives the fourth most to charity in the U.S. Not just among athletes, anyone. That's damn impressive for a guy with a less than stellar reputation among most observers. Good for Melo...Bill Simmons ("The Sports Guy") asks if people really think that General Motors would have been worse off if it were run by Gary Bettman and Isaiah Thomas. Ouch...somebody get Jason Bay off of the New York Yankees. He pwns them, with three homers and 10RBI in five games this season, all Sox wins...see the video of Britney Spears where a fan jumped on stage and scared the life out of her? Watch her reaction at 2:15 and note the lack of change in audio...RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie is at it again, with an offer of $212.5 million in to buy the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes. Would be nice to have the former Winnipeg Jets back in Canada, but given Bill Simmons question above as it pertains to Gary Bettman, you're as likely to see them land in Mexico. Now would be a great time for the Player's Union to recognize that their pay is based on revenues, and pushing for another team in Toronto/Ontario can only help them, not hurt them. A fight with Bettman should be a given...I've solved the New York Yankees problems by dropping a 140 kilotonne nuke on Boston. Very therapeutic website here...it didn't take long for Manchester United to essentially finish their semi-final with Arsenal. Two goals in the first 11 minutes will do that kind of thing, and they cruised to a 3-1 win. United defender Patrice Evra said it was 11 men playing against 11 boys, which is notable in that it is the first time a Frenchman is smack talking anyone as being weak. Three weeks from today, they'll meet the winner of the Chelsea/Barcelona semi-final, which goes today at 2:45 on TSN...New York Yankee outfielder, and former Red Sock, Johnny Damon on the difference between the two clubs and how the Sox treated captain Jason Varitek this off season: "I couldn’t believe that they were letting him walk and try to find a team. That’s the difference between New York and Boston...If you’re a part of New York, they’re going to keep you there: Posada, Jeter, Mariano, it’s the first time in history guys have been on the same team for 15 years. It goes to show you something about how the Yankees think, and how many Yankees players have been exclusive with one team. They keep them forever. (The Red Sox) were ready to let (Varitek) go." Not sure if Damon has paid much attention, but moving in younger, cheaper talent has served the Sox well, and Varitek didn't deserve a dime more than he got after a horrific 2008. The Yankees keeping Derek Jeter at short when he's as much a statue as those in monument park, or keeping a catcher past his mid-30's (Posada) has done what, exactly, other than weaken the defence and waste payroll? But good of Damon to back a guy who shares Scott Boras as an agent...Selena Roberts, the author of "A-Rod", was also the author who burried the Duke lacrosse players well in advance of them being 100% cleared of any wrongdoing - something she never retracted or apologized following, notes Jason Whitlock, who takes her to task for flimsy deductions and rushing to judgment...Toronto FC host the Vancouver Whitecaps tonight in the first game of the Canadian Championship. Kickoff is 8 bells on SportsNet...for tonight, play the Yankees/Rays over 10. Enjoy.