Eli Manning and the New York Giants will face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.  Again.

Eli Manning is headed to Super Bowl XLVI.

From The Fith Down

You might remember that Brett Favre was the leader in consecutive starts. And then that Peyton Manning took over that title.

But you may not know that Eli Manning is the new leader among active players, at 119 games. Yes, he’s the N.F.L.’s iron man.

And his durability was on display against a ferocious Niners defense on Sunday. He was sacked six times and hit many more. In some instances, he was simply mangled.

Original Photo townnews

The Texas Rangers have already signed Yu Darvish,  and now they have their sites on Prince Fielder.

Prince Fielder thinks he'll look slimmer in a Texas Rangers uniform.

From Yahoo Sports

They basically flipped C.J. Wilson for Darvish. Their lineup remains better than the Angels’, even with Albert Pujols in Anaheim. Their bullpen is deeper, though the ninth inning – Joe Nathan in Arlington, Jordan Walden in Anaheim – is sketchy for both.

Imagine, then, what Fielder could do for the Rangers, for an already muscular offense, and then what the Rangers could do for Fielder.

After all, he’s done his time in the market where everything must go right in order to contend. And he has his suitors in Seattle, Washington, maybe Chicago (North Side), Miami, Baltimore and Toronto. Through no fault of his own, it appears his timing is simply crummy. The Yankees and Red Sox are both set at first base and perhaps diving for the luxury tax threshold.

Original Photo zimbio

Eli Manning and the New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Eli Manning owns the Green Bay Packers.

From ABC News

For the second time in four years, the Giants strutted away from Green Bay with a playoff victory, shocking the reigning Super Bowl champions 37-20 in the divisional round Sunday.

Now they’re headed to the NFC Championship game in San Francisco next Sunday, bursting with confidence that they can win another road game and get back to the Super Bowl.

“This team knows how to win on the road,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. “It seems like right now, it’s our time.”

Original Photo moviespad

Tim Tebow led the Denver Broncos to another miracle victory.

Praise Tebow!

From The NY Times

Tim Tebow, whose stature as a football and social phenomenon was built on the foundation of fourth-quarter comebacks, completed a 20-yard pass that Demaryius Thomas turned into an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime Sunday, giving the Denver Broncos a 29-23 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers in their A.F.C. wild-card game.

Original Photos Yahoo, deviantart

The Houston Rockets have not looked good.

Houston Rockets' coach Kevin McHale is taller than Frankenstein.

From The Dream Shake

But there are some significant problems with this Rockets team that opposing teams have exposed in the first six games.The biggest problem (bizarrely, for the Rockets) is the offense [edit: okay, maybe it's the defense]. There are other problems with the Rockets, definitely: Scola’s rebounding numbers are way down, Lowry’s is really awesome but his turnover numbers are dangerously high, and Jordan Hill seems to be our best non-Scola big man right now. But the single biggest difference between the 2011 Rockets (winning record!) and the 2012 Rockets (we’ll see!) is the offense.

Original Photo Yahoo

The New York Jets looked pretty bad while their season was ending.

Santonio Holmes acted like a baby according to some NY Jets.

From The Jet Press

Some teammates reportedly called Holmes a cancer to the team that quit weeks ago. They also compared his behavior to that of a 10 year old child.

LaDainian Tomlinson, for one, was not afraid to speak his mind.

“Let me just say there were some guys in the huddle that were unhappy with Tone’s demeanor,” running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. “When you have a group of guys that’s fighting their butts off, and one guy, for whatever reason, their demeanor’s not with them, you’re going to get some guys to say something to him and tell them how they feel. That’s what you got today.”

Original Photos nydailynews, rulehibernia

Baylor defeated Washington in the Valero Alamo Bowl. The game saw 17 TDs and 123 total points.

Baylor and Washington fried the scoreboard during the record setting Valero Alamo Bowl

From ESPN

The teams combined for 1,397 yards of total offense, which broke the FBS bowl record. The previous high was 1,211 yards, set by Arizona and Rutgers in the 2005 Insight Bowl.

The 123 points scored were the most in bowl history in regulation. The 17 total touchdowns were also a bowl record. The 123 points were 40 more than any previous Alamo Bowl.

The all-time record was 125 points, but that was a double-overtime game between Marshall and East Carolina in the 2001 GMAC Bowl.

The two teams tied a bowl record with 12 rushing touchdowns. They’re tied with Texas Tech and Air Force in the 1995 Copper Bowl.

The 64 second-half points tied a bowl record.

Baylor’s 777 total yards of offense is a bowl record, breaking Arizona State’s record of 718 in the 1972 Fiesta Bowl. Not a bad way for RG3 to go out, if he does indeed enter the NFL draft.

Baylor’s 67 points were also a bowl record.

Baylor’s eight rushing touchdowns tied a bowl record.

Bears running back Terrance Ganaway’s five rushing touchdowns tied a bowl record for both rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns scored.

Washington QB Keith Price’s seven touchdowns accounted for a bowl record, as did his 42 points. Four other players held the previous record, with six touchdowns and 36 points.

The 59 first downs between the two teams was three short of the record of 62, set by NC State and Kansas in the 2003 Tangerine Bowl.

The two teams were just short of the FBS record for points in regulation, set at 136 points in a 74-62 Navy win against North Texas on Nov. 10, 2007.

Original Photo Newsday

It’s the return of the NBA!

It's a Christmas gift from the NBA today!

Original Photos wallpapersland, clarioncountyspromise

Fans went crazy trying to get their hands on the new Air Jordans.

The retro Air Jordans arrived in stores Friday, and so did guns, knives and violence.

From Yahoo Sports

Scuffles broke out and police were brought in to quell unrest that nearly turned into riots across the nation Friday following the release of Nike’s new Air Jordan basketball shoes—a retro model of one of the most popular Air Jordans ever made.

The mayhem stretched from Washington state to Georgia and was reminiscent of the violence that broke out 20 years ago in many cities as the shoes became popular targets for thieves. It also had a decidedly Black Friday feel as huge crowds of shoppers overwhelmed stores for a must-have item.

In suburban Seattle, police used pepper spray on about 20 customers who started fighting at the Westfield Southcenter mall. The crowd started gathering at four stores in the mall around midnight and had grown to more than 1,000 people by 4 a.m., when the stores opened, Tukwila Officer Mike Murphy said. He said it started as fighting and pushing among people in line and escalated over the next hour.

Original Photos finessephotography2013, sendmorecops

Rex Ryan likes to talk about the NY Jets.

The NY Jets may need a new logo if they flop against the Giants this weekend.

From ESPN NY

After boasting for the second straight day his team is better than the New York Giants, Ryan acknowledged Tuesday that he’s going to get hammered by critics if the Jets fall short to the Giants on Saturday in the Battle of New York at MetLife Stadium.

“I feel like I have to win this game because I put it out there, I want to be the better team in our city, there’s no doubt,” Ryan said, adding that if they lose, “it’s going to fall on one person, and that’s the way it should be. It’s coming right on top of me, and that’s fine. And when we win, it’ll be about the Jets.”

Original Photo Boston Herald

Former Chicago Bear Sam Hurd allegedly may have sold drugs to other NFL players.

Sam Hurd liked to play with kilos of cocaine, until he was caught.

From The Chiacgo Sun Times

What if Sam Hurd had been supplying his Bears teammates with cocaine and marijuana? What if the five to 10 kilograms of coke and the 1,000 pounds of weed he allegedly wanted to purchase per week were also for his former Cowboys teammates and for pro players who make Dallas and Chicago their offseason homes?

What if Hurd was the Unofficial Drug Dealer of the NFL?

Then, friends, the Bears have a problem that will make Tank Johnson’s past criminal troubles look like a 911 call for a cat stuck in a tree.

It doesn’t take much of an imagination to get to a very uncomfortable place with Hurd and the Bears. They waived the receiver Friday, two days after his arrest on federal drug conspiracy charges. According to the criminal complaint against him, Hurd told an undercover agent that he and a partner already were selling about four kilograms of cocaine a week but needed more. The amount of cocaine and pot he wanted to buy weekly was worth about $700,000.

Original Photos Bloomberg, insidesocal

Albert Pujols of the California Anaheim Los Angeles Angels will have to be pretty good to justify his big contract.

It's going to take a lot of hits for Albert Pujols to give the Angels their money's worth.

From The Wall Street Journal

As The Wall Street Journal’s Jared Diamond pointed out, teams that sign players to 10-year deals don’t always regret them. But a team signing a first baseman who will be 32 when he starts serving the contract has less chance of getting its money’s worth. That’s because most of a first baseman’s value derives from his bat — even for a good fielder like Pujols. He’ll have to continue to justify his worth with his offense, which is likely to decline.

Pjuols will have to deliver about 40 wins above replacement for the duration of the contract to justify its value, based on how teams value wins today and taking into account that a dollar he earns later in the deal is worth less than a dollar in 2012. But none of Pujols’s peers have been able to do that. I looked at the other 84 men to earn at least 15 wins above replacement by their age-31 season while playing at least three-quarters of their games at first base or designated hitter. None managed more than Lou Gehrig‘s 31.5 wins above replacement for the rest of his career, and that’s even with Gehrig’s career cut short by his eponymous disease. Only 10 players reached 20 WAR, and two out of three didn’t even provide 10 more wins above replacement.

Original Photo bleacherreport

Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, until the NBA rejected the deal.

Chris Paul is a Hornet. No, he's a Laker. No he's not, he's a Hornet again.

From Yahoo

NBA commissioner David Stern killed the New Orleans Hornets’ trade of Chris Paul after several owners complained about the league-owned team dealing the All-Star point guard to the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Some owners pushed Stern to nullify the trade and that the Hornets be made to keep Paul on the roster for the foreseeable future, sources said. A chorus of owners were irate with the belief that the five-month lockout had happened largely to stop big-market teams from leveraging small-market teams for star players pending free agency.

Original Photos thirdage , nbajerseys4sale

Shahid Khan is on the verge of becoming the new owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Shahid Khan's purchase of the Jacksonville Jaguars is almost enough to overshadow his mustache. Almost.

From USA Today

Asked whether the team would remain in Jacksonville, the Illinois businessman said he couldn’t comment until the deal was approved — then offered a hint of what the answer would be.

“Hopefully the vote goes the way we’re expecting; I’ll be happy to elaborate on that, and (fans) will not be disappointed,” Khan said after meeting with the 10 owners on the committee at league headquarters.

Wayne Weaver announced last Tuesday that he had agreed to sell the franchise to Khan for a reported $760 million. The owners will vote Dec. 14 in Dallas.

Original Photo patrickgarvin

Chris Paul really wants to be a New York Knick.

If Chris Paul has his way, he'll be on the New York Knicks sooner than later.

From ESPN NY

The source did not confirm or deny reports that a representative for Paul has told the Hornets their point guard wants to be traded to the Knicks, but league sources say team general manager

The first day Demps could be allowed to talk to Paul is Dec. 9, when commissioner David Stern hopes to open training camps and fully lift the league’s labor lockout.

What will Demps hear that day? Apparently, not even Paul may know. “At this time, he is weighing his options and deciding what the best thing to do is,” the source familiar with Paul’s thinking said.

Original Photo Fan’s Edge

The NBA and it’s players showed their holiday spirit by reaching a deal to ensure there will be basketball on Christmas.

NBA commissioner David Stern is feeling the Christmas spirit after a tentative labor deal was reached with the players.

From The New York Times

The deal was reached about 3 a.m. Saturday, on the 149th day of the lockout, after a final 15-hour bargaining session at the law offices of Weil, Gotshal & Manges in Midtown Manhattan.

Based on tentative agreements reached earlier, the deal is expected to be for 10 years, the longest such contract in the history of the National Basketball Association, with an option for either side to terminate it after six years. It includes a significant pay cut for players, along with shorter contracts, smaller raises and a more punitive tax system to rein in the top-spending teams.

Original Photos yahoo, costumecraze

The Denver Broncos’ chief of football operations John Elway is not a big believer in Tim Tebow.

John Elway does not have faith in Tim Tebow's arm.

From ESPN

Tim Tebow on Tuesday told “ESPN First Take” that he doesn’t pay attention to the lukewarm support from Denver Broncos chief of football operations John Elway and instead focuses on trying to get better as a quarterback.

Elway answered “no” on Monday when asked on his weekly radio show on 102.3 FM The Ticket in Denver if the Broncos were “any closer to feeling if you have your quarterback on this team?”

Original Photo yahoo

When the NBAPA announced it’s plans to disband, they likely killed the chances of an NBA season.

The NBA Players Association dropped a bomb on labor negotiations, that according to David Stern, will cause a "nuclear winter".

From The Washington Post

NBA Commissioner David Stern quickly discredited the players’ attempt to take legal action as a “charade” in an interview with ESPN, calling the move a tragedy that could lead the league into “the nuclear winter.” He was highly critical of the “badly misled” union that he said is bent on self-destruction.

“There will ultimately be a new collective bargaining agreement,” Stern said in a statement issued by the league, “but the 2011-12 season is now in jeopardy.”

Original Photo bleacherreport

A growing number of NBA owners are actually hoping that the players reject the latest CBA proposal.

If there were any more hardliners at NBA owners meetings, it would look like the Polit Bureau.

From Yahoo

The point is that the players are facing a group of owners who are either representing or paying for the sins of teams that were purchased for way too much, and subsequently spent way, way too much on the Josh Childress’ of the world. As a result, those owners don’t care if there’s a season in 2011-12. They don’t care about their employees, and they don’t care about the workers that make a living tangentially through NBA basketball. And you can’t reason with that sort of lunacy.

All you can do is cede to it, if you want some of what you once had. Because negotiating only brought you this far.

If the players want to play, this really is the end of the line. It’s not the beginning of the end, the first step in some sort of magical, decertified journey that is going to lead back to a majority of the basketball related income in their pockets and sign-and-trades for all. No, this is it.

And we’re expecting NBA players, whose sense of perspective is skewed as badly as anyone’s, to recognize this. God help us all.

Original Photos marxists, cnbc

Joe Paterno has been fired for his role in the worst college sports scandal ever.

Joe Paterno's statue at Penn State.

From The Chicago Tribune

Shed no tears for Joe Paterno. Save your pity for the innocent boys who will grow up into tortured men, not JoePa.

Spare me the indignation over the Penn State Board of Trustees firing Paterno on Thursday night over the phone.

Had Paterno picked one up 13 years ago and called the most powerful law-enforcement official he knew in the state, not just the top campus cop, he might have saved innocent boys from an alleged pedophile — and quite likely his job, his school and his legacy.

Penn State removed Paterno from that job because, finally, somebody in Creepy Valley did the right thing. Somebody followed a conscience instead of a university handbook. That it came 13 years too late will haunt State College, Pa., forever. It will indelibly stain Paterno’s Hall of Fame tenure, as if that matters.

Original Photo theforkandtheroad