Hanniballin'

An Old Western

On the Rise

Reversing His Fortune

Tiger Escapes

Fifth Time the Charm

Oden's career has been anything, but what
the Trail Blazers were hoping for.

It's been nearly five years since the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Greg Oden with the No. 1 overall pick, taking him over Texas' Kevin Durant.

Since that time, Oden has undergone more knee surgeries than he has seasons played, Durant has made the Oklahoma City Thunder a title contender, winning two NBA scoring titles in the process and Oden's once upon a time running mate, Brandon Roy, has retired due to his balky knees.

Oden underwent his fifth career knee surgery Monday and the third of the microfracture variety. Originally suffering the injury in his right knee, Oden's last two procedures have come on his left.

It's worth noting no player in NBA history has come back after undergoing three different microfracture procedures.

The 7-footer has played a total of 82 games in his five-year career. That is equivalent to an entire NBA regular season. In his rookie campaign out of Ohio State, Oden played in a career-high 61 games, 39 of them came as a starter, averaging 8.9 points per game and 7.0 rebounds.

Following his first surgery, Oden came back with vengeance, starting in the team's first 21 games of the regular season. He was averaging 11.1 PPG, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, making it clear he wasn't going to be the franchise's next Sam Bowie.

However, he was.

On Dec. 5, 2009, in a game against the Houston Rockets, Oden went up to block an Aaron Brooks' shot attempt, but instead came down on an another injured knee.

Oden suffered a fracture left patella and would miss the reminder of the season, playing in what might be his final as a Blazer.

Just like Oden, Bowie was taken ahead of another high profile superstar and a superstar in every sense of the word. The often-injured center was selected by Portland with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, in front of North Carolina's Michael Jordan.

Need I say more?

As for Bowie, he played in 76 games in his rookie season, but only 63 games over the next four years with the Blazers before signing with the New Jersey Nets, spending only five years with the organization and the same number of operations.

Oddly enough, Oden can say the same thing.

Portland should
have listened.

Heading into the season and after the 166-day lockout Oden was a restricted free agent, but agreed to a $8.9 million qualifying offer to stay with Portland. The team has since restructured the deal with Oden, having him earn $1.5 million after he will not have played a game in any of the last three seasons.

A team that was once thought to be possessed by a formula for success, now becomes a team without two main indigents. And with Oden an unrestricted free agent at season's end, his return to the Rose Garden or any NBA arena for that matter, isn't any time soon.

Just remember, history tends to repeat itself.

Flying Under the Radar?

It's hard to believe the Heat could be better
off without either James (6) or Wade.

With Linsanity continuing to sweep the nation and the San Antonio Spurs on an NBA season-best 10-game winning streak, the Miami Heat have quietly put together one of the more impressive runs in league history.

Miami's 90-78 win over the Orlando Magic Sunday mark their sixth in-a-row and first game at home in almost two weeks. But it's been the team's most recent road trip that has gotten overlooked.

On Feb. 8, the Heat embarked on a 6-game, 10-day road trip starting in Orlando where they suffered their most recent loss of the season. Since that time, Miami has won their last five road games, including three straight in consecutive nights.

In all three of those game, the Heat at one point or another held a 30-plus-point lead, making it the first time in over 30 years a team won back-to-back-to-back road games in as many nights and led by that type of point differential.

Miami is currently tied with the Chicago Bulls for the most games won this season by 10 or more points with 17. Not to mention Sunday's win of 12 points is the smallest margin during the Heat's current streak.

Now, the Heat possess the best record (25-7) in the NBA with the idol Bulls, who have been without reigning league MVP Derrick Rose for the last five games, a half back behind them for the top spot. Miami leads the Southeast division by five games over the Magic and five and a half better than the Atlanta Hawks, both whom are teams above .500.

A year after Miami finished just 21-19 against teams .500 or better, they have drastically improved in year two of the 'Super Team' experiment. Their 13 wins against elite opponents this season are third only to Oklahoma City's 14 and San Antonio's 14, but lead the Eastern Conference.

And at the forefront of it all has been the always controversial, but sensational LeBron James.

James, who has already won a scoring title (2007-08), is second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 28.0 points per game.

But it has been his ability to win games without Dwyane Wade that has been most impressive. James has won seven of the eight games he has played without him this season, averaging 29.3 PPG, 7.6 rebounds and 7.7 assists while doing so.

James and Wade both did not play in a game on Jan. 5 against the Hawks, but nonetheless resulted in a 116-109 win, bringing Miami's record to 8-1 without Wade this season.

Despite coming into the league at the same season, James and Wade have had much different careers. James is only 27 after being drafted straight out of high school with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wade, 30, on the other hand was selected fifth overall that same year after attending Marquette University for three years.

James was the Rookie of the Year while Wade brought the Heat their first NBA championship in 2006. But now with each passing year and both nine-year veterans it's all about winning.

In the possible 688 regular season games both could have played in up to this point since arriving to the NBA, James has played in 658 of them, but Wade has been hampered by injuries most of his career, playing in just 591.

Is it time to think of life without Wade?

James and Co. have proven they can win without Wade, it even allows teammate Chris Bosh be somewhat of the guy he was in Toronto. Bosh has averaged 25.6 PPG in Wade's absence and continues to thrive as James' Robin.

It's hard to believe there could be a team with too much star power, but that may be the case in South Beach with Wade as the odd man out.

Singing the Same Old Tune

Tony Parker recorded his second
straight double-double Saturday.

It's never easy with the San Antonio Spurs in town and Saturday afternoon was no different.

It a game the Los Angeles Clippers seemingly had won, somehow they reverted back to their old ways and couldn't quite close out their 20th win of the season, falling in overtime, 103-100.

In a close game throughout, Los Angeles eventually found themselves trailing by 15 (65-50) early in the third quarter, but the Clippers, with their new found persistent and resilient personality, went on a 17-0 run that was capped off by an electrifying Blake Griffin dunk, giving his team the lead for the first time since the second quarter.

And after overcoming yet another deficit in the fourth, Los Angeles held a 95-92 lead with the ball after San Antonio's Gary Neal turned the ball over.

However, Ryan Gomes' inbound pass to Chris Paul, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, took his momentum towards the backcourt, causing Paul to try save it and putting it right in the hands of Neal.

Neal, without any hesitation, stepped beyond the arch, drilling a game-tying three-point basket with 5.7 seconds left in regulation.

Paul missed a 14-foot jump shot as time expired, sending the game into overtime.

But in the extra period, the mistakes would continue. The Clippers suffered a shot-clock violation just after Matt Bonner gave the Spurs a slim one-point lead, 98-97. Following that turnover, Los Angeles got the ball back after a missed field goal attempt by Tim Duncan and with 42 seconds left, Duncan fouled Griffin, sending him to the line with a chance to regain the lead.

An exhausted Griffin would hit one of two, tying the game and giving him the first 20 point, 20 rebound game of his young career. But Neal would hit his fifth and final three-pointer of the night which proved to be the eventual game winner.

And after missed layup by Paul, San Antonio was given the same situation as the Clippers had at the end of regulation  -- three-point lead with the ball -- but this time experience proved to be the difference,

The Spurs inbounded the ball to point guard Tony Parker as he was fouled by Randy Foye. Parker, who outplayed Paul, finishing the game with a double-double (30 points, 10 assists), made both free throws.

Paul had a chance to tie the game with a three-point bucket after Griffin had a driving dunk and Neal missed two free throws, but his shot fell short, ending their modest two-game winning streak and calling his fourth quarter turnover the "biggest mistake of my career".

That might be a little exaggerated, but it was a disappointing loss in a game that had a playoff like atmosphere and postseason implications.

Los Angeles had been undefeated when Paul scores 17-plus points, but not with the hottest team in the NBA in town.

The Spurs now have an NBA season-best 10-game winning streak and have started their nine-game Rodeo Road Trip 6-0. But it comes as no surprise, even with the Clippers rapid change in cultural this season, that San Antonio comes into Staples Center and beats this franchise.

Paul and Co. gave away a win Saturday

against the San Antonio Spurs.

Grep Popovich's team has won 28 of the last 30 meetings against Los Angeles and have enjoyed unbelievable success on the Clippers' home floor. Since the 1997-98 season, San Antonio has the best winning percentage against the Clippers, winning .818 percent of their games in Staples, accumulating to a 22-5 record.

On another note, the Spurs lost both center Tiago Splitter and forward Manu Ginobili to injuries Saturday. Splitter left the first with a sprained right calf while Ginobili, in only his fourth game back from a broken wrist, suffered a strained left oblique.

If this is a potential postseason matchup, then we are in for one heck of a ride in the already wild wild west.

Waking Goodbye

Over 19 years, Wakefield was the epitome of
a team player.

Tim Wakefield's knuckleball has fluttered passed it's final big league bat.

The 45-year-old veteran called it a career Friday after playing 19 seasons in Major League Baseball -- 17 in which came with his wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform.

Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1988 as a first baseman, Wakefield made his Major League debut in 1992 as a pitcher. He finished the season with an 8-1 record and a 2.15 earned run average in 13 starts. However, he lost 11 games in 1993 and spent most of the 1994 season pitching for Triple-A Buffalo.

Wakefield was called up in September, but never appeared in a big league due to the strike-shortened season. The Pirates released Wakefield prior to the start of the 1995 season.

The Red Sox saw his potential and decided to take a chance on the then-28-year-old right hander.

Wakfield started the year at Triple-A Pawtucket, but injuries paved his fast track back to the majors. In his first 17 games with the Red Sox, Wakfield emerged as the team's most reliable starter, throwing six complete games, accumulating to a 14-1 record with a 1.65 ERA.

Using his knuckleball more then he ever had, Wakefield finished the year 16-8, narrowly missing his first 200 inning season, throwing 195 1/3 innings and posting a 2.95 ERA. It would be the only season Wakefield would see his name finish on the American League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player ballot, finishing third and 13th, respectively.

Over the years, Wakefield became one of the most versatile pitchers the game has ever seen. He appeared in 627 games over his career, 463 of those coming as a starter and the other 164 out of the bullpen.

After throwing three consecutive seasons of 200-plus innings (1996-98), Wakefield started to mainly work out of the Boston bullpen. From 1999 to 2002, Wakefield appeared in a total of 190 games for the Red Sox, but only 66 came as a starter. During that span Wakefield appeared in 45 game or more each season, including saving a career-high 15 games in '99, but never starting more than 17 games in a year.

But it's one of his relief outings in the postseason that will forever live in infamy.

After being responsible for two of the three Red Sox wins as a starter in the 2003 ALCS, Wakefield entered the decisive seventh game in Yankee Stadium as a reliever with the score knotted at five, in the 11th inning and Aaron Boone coming to the plate.

On his first pitch of the game, Wakefield surrendered one of the most memorable home runs in baseball history as Boone launched it deep into the October night, sending New York fans home dancing -- something his knuckleball didn't quite do.

Wakefield went from being potentially the series' MVP and hero to the instant choker and goat.

However, just a year later on the same stage, Wakefield and Co. would have their revenge.

Facing a 3-1 series deficit, and at one point 3-0, Wakefield won Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS, the second of Boston's eight straight postseason wins, capping the most improbable comeback in postseason history en route to their first World Series title in 86 years.

In 2007, Wakefield would win a career-high 17 games and win his second World Series championship with the Red Sox despite only appearing two games that postseason.

Two years later, Wakefield was his selected to his first and only All-Star team, becoming the second oldest player in history to be named his to first career All-Star Game at age 42. Hall of Famer Satchel Paige was the oldest, making his first All-Star appearance in 1952 at 45.

At the break, Wakefield was 11-3, but was hampered by lower back and calf injuries the second half, allowing him only to pitch in four games the rest of the season.

This past season, Wakefield recorded his 200th win and by no means was it easy. He started the year in the bullpen, but by May he was back in the rotation.

Wakefield recorded his 199th career win on July 24, but waited nearly two months before his historic milestone. With the bullpen blowing numerous leads, the knuckleballer made eight appearances before recording his final Major League win on his ninth attempt.

On Sept. 13, he allowed five runs on five hits over six innings in Boston's 18-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Speaking of September, Wakefield was one of the many Red Sox pitchers that struggled in the season's final month. In the greatest collapse in baseball history, that saw Boston finish the season 7-20 in their final 27 games and squandering a nine-game wild card lead, Wakefield went 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA.

He relinquished five runs in all five of his September appearances, including what would be his final career start, coming in a 6-2 loss to the New York Yankees.

Wakefield finishes his career with a 200-180 record and a 4.41 ERA. 186 of his 200 wins came as a Red Sox, good enough for second on the franchise's all-time list behind Roger Clemens and Cy Young's 192.

He is only the second pitcher in Red Sox to tally more than 2,000 strike outs with 2,046. Clemens is the all-time leader with 2,590. However, Wakefield is first in starts (430), appearances (590) and innings pitched (3,006).

Only Carl Yastrzemski's 23 and Ted Williams and Dwight Evans' 19-year services to the organization preponderate Wakefield's 17.

As for his place with the greatest knuckleballers in history, Wakefield is surpassed by Joe Nierko, Eddie Cicotte and Hall of Famers, Hoyt Wilhelm, Ted Lyons and Phil Nierko. But if Nierko was the godfather of the knuckleball in the 60s, 70s and 80s, then Wakefield was the heir to the throne in the 90s and the turn of the century.

Wakefield may not be a Hall of Famer, but his place in Red Sox history is assured.

He Was Just a Kid

Throughout his career, Carter was a leader
in every sense of the word.

Less than a year after being diagnosed with brain cancer, Hall of Famer Gary Carter lost that battle Wednesday, passing away at age 57.

It was just last May Carter and his family received the shocking news that he had a malignant tumor in his brain. It was apparent the cancer was spreading and taking a tole on Carter's health, causing many to wonder how long he had left.

In January, Carter's condition took a turn for the worst, validating everyone's deepest concerns. The cancer had spread and saw several more tumors appear on his brain.

While we continue to mourn the loss of one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, it's time to celebrate the life of not only a Hall of Famer player, but a Hall of Fame person.

Carter was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1972. He made his Major League debut just two years later, becoming arguably the greatest player in franchise history. In his first full season with the Expos, Carter hit .270 and slugged 17 home runs. He was named to his first of 11 All-Star Games and finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

1984 would become Carter's best offensive season, posting career-highs in plate appearances (669), at-bats (596), hits (175), batting average (.294) and runs batted in (106). Not to mention his 106 RBIs led the NL.

That December, with Montreal preparing to rebuild, Carter was traded to the New York Mets in exchange for four young prospects.

It was the move that saved the Mets franchise and brought them their second and most recent World Series title.

A team already armed with the power-hitting Darryl Strawberry, electric Dwight Gooden and slick-fielding Keith Hernandez, Carter was brought in to be the savior. And he was just that. On Opening Day 1985, in his first game as a Met, Carter justified the 4-for-1 trade with a walk-off home run in the 10th inning, receiving his first taste of the New York spotlight.

In a town where many crumble, Carter embraced the challenge, flourishing under pressure and captivating Shea Stadium. That was never more apparent in the postseason.

Playing in 30 career playoff games, Carter owned a .280 career average with four home runs and driving in 21 runs. He had 33 career hits in the postseason, but none bigger than four of the 12 hits he had in the 1986 postseason.

In Game 5 of the NLCS, Carter, who was batting a dismal .047 prior to the at-bat, laced a game-winning, walk-off single in the 12th inning, giving New York a 3-2 series advantage -- a series the Mets clinched the following night in 16 innings.

Reaching the World Series for the first time in his career, Carter hit two home runs over the Green Monster in Game 4 of the Fall Classic, becoming the only player in history to homer twice in a All-Star and World Series game.

But it's his 10th inning single in Game 6 that will forever live in New York lore.

With two out and nobody one, Carter, with his tenacious personality, refused to be the final out of the series, orchestrating the most improbable and greatest rally in postseason history. The veteran catcher lashed a base hit into left field and three batters later, Mookie Wilson would hit his infamous ground ball that some how trickled under the glove of Bill Buckner, forcing a decisive seventh game.

Carter and Co. would reach the pinnacle of the sports world two nights later.

If Hernandez was the team's captain, then Carter was his first mate.

Carter would spend three more season with the Mets, but was released in 1989 and bounced around the NL his final three seasons, spending a year each with the Giants and Dodgers before returning to where it all began.

However, Carter managed to bring a crowd to their feet one last time.

In his final Major League at-bat, Carter lined an opposite field, RBI double over Andre Dawson's head, giving the Expos an eventually 1-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 27, 1992. He played in just 95 games that year, batting .218 and retired at season's end.

He finished his career with a .262 average, 324 HRs and 1225 RBIs. Carter is one of only five players to play at least 50 percent of his games as a catcher and record 275 HRs, 350 doubles, 1,000 RBIs and 1,500 hits while doing so, joining the recently retired Jorge Posada, Ivan Rodriguez and fellow Hall of Famers, Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk.

Even in the biggest fight of his life, Carter
never lost the smile that inspired us all.

Carter totaled four 100 RBI seasons as a catcher, including three straight from 1984-86, tying him with Bill Dickey for the third most all-time. He won five Silver Sluggers in his career and finished as high as second in the NL Most Valuable Player voting, that coming in 1980.

That same season Carter would win his first of three consecutive Gold Gloves, showing he was just as good behind the plate. Possessed with one of the strongest throwing arms in baseball history, nobody ran on Carter.

He is one of five catchers to catch more than 2,000 games in his career, catching the fourth most in history and an NL record 2,056 games. According to ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, along with three other catchers, Carter holds the Major League record for being behind the plate in 90 percent of his team's games in five different seasons.

Also one of game's greatest game callers, it wasn't a coincidence Gooden's best season came in Carter's first year as his battery mate. Gooden posted career bests in wins (24) earned run average (1.53), complete games (16) and innings (276.2), capturing his only NL Cy Young.

Carter was named the All-Star Game MVP two times in his career (1981, '84) and was the recipient of the '89 Roberto Clemente Award.

In 2003, after a baffling five-year wait, Carter was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in his sixth year on the ballot, receiving 78.02 percent of the vote. That same season his No. 8 would be retired by Montreal -- the team and cap he would go into Cooperstown wearing.

But it was his infectious smile and enthusiasm, passion and love for the game that earned him the nickname the 'Kid' over his 19-year career and the rest of his life.

Carter, who was the head coach of Palm Beach Atlantic baseball team, made his final public appearance on Feb. 2 in his team's first game of the 2012 season. Honoring Carter the only way they knew how, the Sailfish won on a walk-off base hit by senior Travis Murray.

Murray's position? Yep, you guessed it. Catcher.

Carter wasn't only the savior the Mets needed, but the one baseball needed as well.

Nothing Maddon-ing About This

Maddon has made the Rays contenders
 and turned the franchise's fate in 2008.

Joe Maddon isn't going anywhere. And the Tampa Bay Rays made sure of that Tuesday.

The 58-year-old manager was given a three-year extension by his current employer, insuring his place on the Tampa Bay bench through the 2015 season. Maddon was entering the final year of his current contract after previously signing his first three-year extension with the organization in May 2009.

Since being hired as the Rays manager in November 2005, Maddon has rapidly become one of the game's best managers. Under his watch, the Rays have made three appearances, won two American League East Division titles and an AL Pennant.

In a year of firsts for the organization and only his third season as manager, Maddon lead the budget-conscious Rays to a franchise record 97 regular season wins and their first postseason appearance in franchise history, outplaying the high-paying New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox for the division crown. Tampa Bay defeated the Chicago White Sox in the ALDS to clinch their first playoff series victory, advancing to the ALCS to take on the Red Sox.

The series would come down to an epic seventh game -- a game Tampa Bay eventually won, 3-1. However, they were defeated in their first ever World Series appearance, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games.

The following year, Maddon and his troops would take a step back, finishing the year 84-78 -- third in the division, causing many to wonder if their success was just an anomaly.

That wasn't the case.

In 2010, Maddon and the Rays went back to work, clinching their division for the second time in three years. This past season, Tampa Bay would make the most historic September comeback in baseball history, over coming a 9-game wild card deficit only to first their first ever AL Wild Card berth the final day of the regular season.

Although, back-to-back years they have been ousted from the postseason in the ALDS by the Texas Rangers.

Maddon has built a foundation for success down South, but it hasn't been easy.

He spent his first two years in Tampa Bay as a Devil Ray, watching his team finish in the cellar of the AL East, combining for 127-197 record and drafting young players that would define the team's recent success.

In the first round of the 2006 amateur draft, Maddon and Co. selected shortstop Evan Longoria out of Cal State Long Beach with the No. 3 overall pick. Then, eight rounds later, the Rays selected Desmond Jennings, who played in 63 games this past season as a rookie.

In 2007, with the No. 1 overall pick, Maddon took left-handed phenom David Price out of Vanderbilt and played a major role in the team signing free agent first baseman Carlos Pena.

Longoria won the 2008 AL Rookie of the Year. Price has become one of the game's most premier pitchers, winning a career-high 19 games in 2010. Pena set career-highs home runs (46) and runs batted in (121) in his first year with the Rays and hit a combined 144 HRs in his four years with the team before leaving as a free agent prior to the start of last season.

But after a year away from the organization, Pena signed a one-year deal this offseason to return. As for Jennings, he batted .259 with 10 HRs and 25 RBIs, playing a major role in the Rays' magical September run.

And despite being drafted by the Rays just month before Maddon was hired, Jeremy Hellickson is his second rookie to earn the AL Rookie of the Year of the honor, going 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA in 2011.

Maddon is not only the fourth manager in franchise history, but the longest tenured as well.

The franchise's first manager and current Yankee pitching coach, Larry Rothschild, held the mark prior to Maddon's arrival, managing the club from 1998 to 2001.

Maddon is one of three successful managers in baseball that studied under Mike Scioscia, who is a two-time AL Manager of the Year.

The former Angels bench coach established early and often he would do things his own way. With his thick-rimmed-rose-color glasses, Maddon is known for his unorthodox managerial style and preaching the fundamentals of the game he loves so dear.

On Aug. 17, 2008, with a four-run lead, Maddon elected to intentional walk Texas' Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded rather than pitching to him as the potential tying run. It was only the sixth intentional walk handed out with the bases loaded in baseball history.

The move prevailed as the Dan Wheeler struck out Marlon Byrd to end the game, preserving the lead in a 7-4 win.

Maddon was won the AL Manager of the Year twice ('08, '10), has accumulated a 495-477 record in his 972 games and is now greatest manager in franchise history with at least four more years to add to his legacy.

Defecting by the Bay

Taming the Tiger

It was Mickelson taking center stage Sunday,
not Tiger Woods, as many expected.

Surging to his first PGA Tour win of the 2012 season, it was Phil Mickelson that roared to the top, not Tiger Woods.

A day after Mickelson shot a two-under 70, picked up three strokes on his last 14 holes and birdied the par-three 17th, assuring himself a spot in the second-to-last group Sunday, he finished the job and tamed the tiger.

Mickelson, 41, faced a six-shot deficit heading into the final-round, but quickly turned the tables on Woods and leader Charlie Wi. Just six holes in, his six-shot disadvantage became a two-shot advantage, due to his steady hand with the putter, sinking a 21-foot eagle putt at the par-five sixth as a part of his front-nine 31.

It would be a lead the southpaw would never surrender.

Mickelson made two par-saving putts from 30-feet-plus on the back nine, coming from 30 (12th) and 38 feet (15th), respectively. He finished the tournament with a eight-under 64, capturing his fourth career AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am victory and 40th PGA Tour win.

It matched the largest final-round comeback of Mickelson's career, also overcoming a six-shot deficit at the 2000 MasterCard Colonial.

It was the third time in as tournaments that the winner started the final-round at least six shots behind a 54-hole leader only to win their first our event of the year.

The four-time major champion, along with Mark O'Meara, holds the record for the tournament's lowest score with 268 total strokes, shooting 20-under par. O'Meara set the record in 1997 with Mickelson matching that mark a decade later, in 2007.

He circled that total once more Sunday, finishing at 17-under 269.

Mickelson becomes the ninth player in history to win 40 or more PGA Tour events, and now trails Walter Hagen's 45 for eighth on the all-time list.

Wi finished second for the fifth time on the tour after starting the final-round with a three-shot lead. The South Korean four-putted the opening hole, tallying a double-bogey, setting the tone for his inevitable collapse and finishing the tournament two shots off the lead. He final round was completed with an even-par 72, his worst score of the week, that was helped out by his back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18.

As for Woods, who was paired with Mickelson for only the 10th time in a final-round, struggled on the greens. With multiple holes capped off by three-putts, Woods shot a three-over 75, finishing tied for 15th at eight-under par.

The world's former No. 1 bogeyed five holes in Sunday's final-round compared his five bogeys the previous three rounds.

It was the second time this season Woods looked to have found him stroke early, but unable to reach the finish line in front. In his '12 debut at Abu Dhabi, Woods had a share of the lead heading into the final-round only to fall short, never breaking par wearing his tradition Sunday red.

And in a rivalry that use to be one-sided and still is, finds the tide turning.

The last five time these two have been paired together in a final-round, it has been Mickelson prevailing with the better score. Three of those have come in Mickelson wins, including Sunday at Pebble Beach.

It is Mickelson's first win since the Houston Open last year and propels him to the No. 11 ranking in the world. The win gives him 500 FedEx Cup points and earns him $1.152 million.

'Lefty', as they call him, is back, but many still waiting the return of the tiger wandering in the woods.

Shown the Door

Ward leaping into the end zone after the
Steeler's trick play in Super Bowl XL.

It looks as if the 2012-13 NFL season with be the first in 14 years without Hines Ward in a Pittsburgh Steeler uniform.

According to multiple unnamed sources, the NFL Network has announced the Steelers do not plan on bringing back the veteran wideout for his 15th season. Ward, who is due $4 million in the final year of his contract, has played his entire career in Pittsburgh and epitomized the Steeler's blue-collar culture for the past decade and a half.

Ward has said numerous times he is willing to take a pay cut to remain with the only team he's ever known. But apparently that is not the problem with his productive diminishing each of the last two seasons.

The 35-year-old South Korean lost his starting job this season with the acquisition of Jerricho Cotchery. Ward caught 46 passes this season for 381 yards and two touchdowns, and with the offense heading a different direction, Ward's services may be no longer needed.

It was just two days ago Pittsburgh introduced former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley as their next offensive coordinator. The decision came after Bruce Arians' contract expired and was hired to fill the same position in Indianapolis. A move that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did not approve of. So, not only will Roethlisberger be losing his offensive game caller, but his favorite target over the first eight years of his career.

Playing his college ball as a Georgia Bulldog, Ward was selected by the Steelers in the third-round in 1998 NFL Draft, becoming a staple in the Pittsburgh huddle.

Ward's best season came in 2002 when he set career-highs in receptions (112), yards (1,329), yards per game (83.1) and TDs (12). But his biggest accomplishment came in, at the time, the biggest game of his career.

In Super Bowl XL, Ward caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from fellow wide receiver Antwaan Randle El with 6:04 left in the fourth quarter, giving the Steelers a 21-10 lead and sealing the franchise's fifth championship victory, this time over the Seattle Seahawks.

Ward finished the game with five catches for 123 yards and that one score. With that performance, he was named the game's Most Valuable Player, becoming the fifth receiver to do so and only the second in Steeler history. Hall of Famer Lynn Swann was the first, capturing the award in 1976 for his dominance in Super Bowl X.

Not only will Ward go down as one of the greatest blocking receivers in NFL history, but his ability to stay on the field in the world's most physical sport will live in Pittsburgh lore.

Possessed with a certain grit and toughness about him, Ward played in all 16 of the team's regular season games 10 of his 14 years with the organization, and never playing less than 13.

If in fact Ward has played in last game in black and gold then he leaves behind a remarkable legacy. A one point in his career, Ward had a streak of 186 consecutive games with at least one reception. It was broken in 2010.

This past season, Ward became the 19th player in NFL history to tally more than 12,000 receiving yards and only the eighth player to caught 1,000 passes. He apparently finishes his Pittsburgh career with exactly 1,000 receptions, 12,083 yards and 85 TDs. That doesn't include his postseason statistics.

The four-time Pro Bowler played in 18 career postseason games, catching 88 passes for 1,181 yards and 10 TDs. His 88 receptions rank second behind only Jerry Rice's 151.

However, in his most recent playoff game and what could be in final game as a Steeler, Ward was ineffective, being targeted on two plays, but did not record a catch in Pittsburgh's 29-23 overtime lost to the Denver Broncos.

Following that loss it was reported by multiple media outlets that Ward was in fact ready to call it a career, but he set the record straight on his Facebook page.

"Let me set the record straight: I have no plans on retiring right now, Ward wrote. I want to win another Super Bowl. I don't know where the media is getting this info from but rest assured that when I decide to retire , you'll hear it from ME first."

While it may be clear Ward wants to continue playing, the Steelers no longer want him.

All I Do is Lin, Lin, Lin!

You can bet Bryant knows who Jeremy
Lin is now.

The global phenomenon that is 'Lin-sanity' continued Friday.

With the 16-time NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in town, Jeremy Lin upstaged Kobe Bryant, something the 33-year-old veteran in not accustom to.

Lin has electrified the Madison Square Garden crowd lately, energizing an underachieving New York Knick team. Without superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, Lin led the Knicks to their fourth straight win, defeating Los Angeles, 92-85.

The 23-year-old Harvard graduate not only scored a career-high 38 points, but the most points scored by a New York player all season, that includes Anthony and Stoudemire.

Heading into Friday night's home game, Lin became the first player since LeBron James in 2003 to score 20-plus points and handout eight or more assists in his first two NBA starts. Despite falling an assist short of that against the Lakers, Lin is in elite company.

Lin's improbable run started less than a week ago in the team's 99-92 home victory over the New Jersey Nets. In that game, Lin played a then-career-high 36 minutes, sparking New York and scoring 25 points with seven assists.

Since that time Lin has started each of the team's next three games and scored a combined 89 points. That is the most by any NBA player in his three professional starts since the ABA-NBA Merger in 1976.

He is now averaging just 9.0 points and 3.5 assists per game this season, but has rejuvenated the Knicks in Anthony and Stoudemire's absence.

New York's improves to 12-15 on the year, bringing them within a half game of the Milwaukee Bucks, who behind Brand Jennings' 24 points defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime, for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

For Los Angeles, it was their 12th loss of the season and 10th away from Staples Center, ending their nine-game winning streak against the Knicks. After arguably the biggest road win of their season in Boston, the Lakers never got it going. A night after combining for 41 points and 31 rebounds, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, scored just 19 points with 23 rebounds against a relatively undersized New York front court.

However, Bryant, as he always does, showed up.

Bryant, who averages 30.5 PPG in 'The Garden', second only to Michael Jordan's 31.8, scored 34 points, despite missing 10 of his first 11 shots, but added 10 rebounds.

It was just three years ago that Bryant had the Garden faithful chanting his name after setting the storied arena's single-game point record with 61 on 19-of-31 shooting.

Bryant was upstaged by someone nobody say coming. Lin is only the fourth player in NBA history to play in the league as a Harvard graduate and his Asian ethnicity makes him the ultimate underdog.

'Lin-sanity' is alive and well in the world's biggest city.

Surgery for Gronk

Pollard is notorious for injuring Patriot
players, doing the same to Gronkowski.

Rob Gronkowski's ankle may have it's own Twitter account (@GronksAnkle) with 349 followers, but it had much more important things to worry about on Friday.

The New England Patriot tight end underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his injured left ankle and is expected to make a full recovery within 10 weeks. Despite Gronkowski saying he was "100 percent" following this team's Super Bowl XLVI lost to the New York Giants, it was clear that was not the case.

Gronkowski only caught two passes from quarterback Tom Brady for 26 yards. But it was the play that the second-year tight end couldn't make that really swung the momentum on Super Sunday.

Clinging to a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter, New England was in the middle of a four-play, 23-yard drive before, on the fifth play of the drive, Brady pulled a Houdini-like escape from the vaunted New York pass rush and heaved the ball down the field to Gronkowski.

The pass was under thrown and intercepted by linebacker Chase Blackburn. Gronkowski did is best to make a play on the ball -- a play he normally makes if healthy. It was the only turnover of the game.

Gronkowski, along with teammate Matt Light, were under heavy scrutiny earlier in the week after a video was released of the two partying and dancing after the loss. And while Gronkowski looked limited on the gridiron just hours earlier, it didn't seem that way on the dance floor.

All in all, it was a great season for the Patriots and Gronkowski.

The 22-year-old emerged as the most dominate tight end the NFL this season, setting records in the process. Gronkowski finished the regular season with 17 receiving touchdowns and 1,327 yards -- both single-season records for a tight end.

'Gronk', as his teammates call him, added three more touchdowns to his total in the postseason before suffering his high-ankle sprain in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, beginning the talk of the most famous ankle in sports history.

Oddly enough Gronkowski injured his ankle on a tackle by safety Bernard Pollard. It's not the first time Pollard has injured a significant member of the New England franchise. In Week 1 of the 2008-09 season, Pollard, then a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, was responsible for the low hit on Brady's left leg that torn his ACL and had him miss the entire season.

The following year, in Week 17 against the Houston Texans, with a healthy Brady and the Patriots primed for another deep playoff, wideout Wes Welker caught a first quarter pass and ran for 13 yards before trying to make a move on Pollard, to avoid a tackle. In the process, Welker also torn his ACL and was lost for the rest of the season.

Not any one player can win a team a Super Bowl, but Brady, Welker and Gronkowski were all key components to making their respective teams go, leaving the Patriots to wonder, what could have been.

Pollard is a free agent after the 2012-13 season -- a free agent the Patriots should look into, living by the old cliche, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

A L.A. Story

In what could be the Lakers' biggest win of

the season, Gasol was on top of his game.

Boston Celtics. Los Angeles Lakers. It never gets old.

A night after Don Rivers watched his son Austin hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift his team in Chapel Hill, the 50-year-old Boston head coach had to watch his team and Paul Pierce's potential game-winning 18-foot jumper with 0.01 remaining, circle the rim only to fall short, losing to the Lakers, 88-87.

Ray Allen had a chance for a putback attempt, but Pau Gasol, who just hours before found out he wouldn't be making is fourth straight All-Star appearance, blocked Allen's shot, clinching both his fists and yelling in excitement after sealing his team's fourth road win of the season.

Gasol finished the game with 25 points and 14 rebounds -- his 15th double-double this season and fourth in as many games.

The win snaps Boston's five-game winning streak and extends Los Angeles' recent success at the TD Garden. The Lakers have now won four straight regular season games in Boston, including three being decided by just one point and two needing overtime to decide a winner.

However, Los Angeles failed to score 100-plus points fourth time in-a-row and 17th time in their last 19 games. The Lakers are averaging just 93.2 points per game this season -- their lowest total in the shot clock era. The 1953-54 season, when the Lakers were still in Minneapolis, is their lowest total ever, averaging just 81.7 PPG.

Although, the franchise won their fifth and final NBA championship in Minnesota that year.

The Celtics lead most of the game until Kobe Bryant and Gasol took over the third quarter. Bryant scored 10 of his 27 points in the third quarter with Gasol adding nine. The championship duo scored 19 of Los Angeles' 22 points in the quarter, outscoring the entire Celtics team, who were held to just 17.

It was Bryant's 19th 25-point game this season which leads the NBA. But it was Andrew Bynum's late tip-in that proved to be the eventual game-winning shot. He added 14 other points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.

As for the Boston big men, especially Kevin Garnett, would like to have this one back.

After hitting two straight shots early in the fourth quarter, Garnett missed his final nine shots of the game, including back-to-backs jumpers that could have given the Celtics the lead in the extra period.

With Garnett's 12, Allen's 22 and Pierce's 18, the Boston big three were out done by the Lakers' big three, 68-52.

Speaking of those three, Pierce was the only Celtic named to his year's All-Star team, ending Garnett's impressive 14 consecutive-year run.

These two teams will not meet again until March 11 in Los Angeles. Until then, they will continue the second of a back-to-back. Boston will travel to Toronto for only their ninth road game of the season thus far while the Lakers continue their Grammy road trip under the lights of New York City, taking on the suddenly surging and Jeremy Lin-led Knickerbockers.

But, on this night, the rivalry was renewed.

On Their Heels

This Time it's for Real

When he was on the field, Williams was one
of the most feared backs the game has ever
seen.

We've heard this story before, but this time it looks like it's official.

After 11 great, but controversial NFL seasons, Baltimore Ravens running back Ricky Williams has decided  against taking handoffs next season and will retire.

Williams, 34, played is college ball at the University of Texas, where he was twice named a Consensus All-American and received college football's highest individual honor. Despite finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1997, Williams would claim the award the following season, receiving 85.23 percent of the vote.

Since the award was created in 1935, Williams is one of only six players to received 80-plus percent of the vote and only the third to tally 85 or more. USC's Reggie Bush, whose 2005 award has since been vacated, and Troy Smith (2006) are the only other to receive that high of a vote total, 91.77 and 91.63, respectively.

The former Longhorn standout finished his Heisman campaign with 2,124 rushing yards on 361 carries, scoring 27 touchdowns.

Williams completed his collegiate career as major college football's all-time leading rusher with 6,279 yards. However, just a year after setting the record, Williams' successor of the prestigious award, Ron Dayne, broke that record, rushing for 1,834 in his Heisman season, bringing his career total to 6,397.

Till this day, Dayne and Williams are still the most productive backs in FBS history.

The New Orleans Saints and then-head coach Mike Ditka drafted Williams with the fifth overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. The Hall of Fame coach traded all six of the team's draft picks that season and their first- and third-round picks in 2000 to the Washington just to draft the 226-pounder.

While he was productive in his rookie season, it was in Williams' second year that he eclipsed the 1,000-yard threshold for the first time in his career, rushing for 1,000 yards on the dot. That season Williams led the Saints to their first playoff appearance since 1992, helping them record their first playoff win in franchise history, defeating the St. Louis Rams, 31-28.

New Orleans was ousted from the postseason the following week by the Minnesota Vikings. Those would be the only two playoffs game Williams played in for the Saints.

Williams would play one more season in New Orleans before being traded to the Miami Dolphins prior to the start of the 2002-03 season.

In order to acquire the former Heisman Trophy winner, the Dolphins gave the Saints their '02 first-round draft choice, swapped their fourth-round draft positions for the same draft and a conditional third-round pick for 2003.

A hefty price to pay, but no nearly the cost New Orleans paid to draft him. Miami, at least initially, would be rewarded.

In his first season in South Beach, Williams became the league's rushing leader, carrying the ball 383 for 1,853 yards, putting together, at the time, the eighth best rushing season in NFL history. Williams also led the NFL in yards per game that season, averaging 115.8 and scored a career-high 16 TDs.

He would be named his first and only Pro Bowl and All-Pro team.

Following up his breakout campaign, Williams rushed for his fourth straight 1,000-yard season and became the definition of a workhorse for Miami. In his first two seasons with the Dolphins, Williams carried the ball a combined 775 times, by far the most in the NFL.

After the best two seasons of his career, Williams surprised everyone, choosing to retire from the NFL after violating the league's drug policy and facing a four-game suspension to start the 2004-05 season. It was the second time in threes years Williams had tested positive for marijuana, and along with his suspension, he was slapped with a $650,000 fine.

When his first retirement was made officially on August 2, 2004, Williams was ruled ineligible for the upcoming season.

Miami countered Williams' retirement by drafting Auburn standout, Ronnie Brown, with the No. 2 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Brown, taking most of the snaps vacated by Williams, narrowly missed rushing for 1,000 yards, rushing for 907.

Williams and Brown formed a more than
respectable one-two punch in the
backfield.

However, Williams returned to the Fins the following year, paying back most of his signing bonus and served his four-game suspension. The 12 games Williams played that season, he rushed for 743 yards on just 168 carries.

His second stint didn't last long. In 2006, Williams went north of the border, playing for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.

Williams would be reinstated into the NFL in 2007 by Commissioner Roger Goodell -- a decision that was contingent upon Williams taking multiple drug tests throughout the week. In his first game back, on Monday Night Football, Williams torn one of his pectoral muscles and was placed on injured reserve not long after.

Williams wasn't the one only that missed time that season -- a season that saw the Dolphins almost go winless, finishing the year 1-15. Brown missed the final nine games of the regular season due to a knee injury and also found himself on IR.

In 2008, with a healthy Brown, a new head coach and Bill Parcells calling the shots, Williams was apart of the wildcat offense and making his first playoff appearance since his second year in New Orleans.

2009 would be Williams last run at something special. Brown was placed on IR with a right foot injury just nine games into the season, giving Williams his starting job back.

He rushed for 1,121 that season. It had been six years between 1,000-yard seasons for Williams -- an NFL record.

Williams spent one more season in Miami before signing a two-year contract this past August to join the Ravens. He served as Ray Rice's backup and played in all 18 games this season, including both of Baltimore's postseason games where they ultimately fell in the AFC Championship Game.

In 147 regular season games, Williams finishes his career with 10,009 rushing yards, becoming only the 26th player in NFL history to eclipse that mark. He scored 74 career TDs and was one of the rare running backs with the ability to catch the football. Williams caught 342 passes in his career for 2,606 yards.

Whatever the future holds, Williams will be remembered for his shaggy dreadlocks, rock solid physique, but fragile personality. He had the potential to be one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.

Instead he might be the most misunderstood figure in sports.

Clipped Out of the Equation

Move Over Big Fella

Bryant embracing longtime teammate and
co-captian, Derek Fisher, after surpassing
O'Neal as the NBA's fifth leading scorer.

He's at it again.

It was a little over a week ago that Los Angeles Laker guard Kobe Bryant surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West for the most field goals and free throws in franchise history, respectively. Now, he has eclipsed yet another Los Angeles legend.

In his hometown of Philadelphia, Bryant, 33, hit a 23-foot jump shot with 5:07 remaining in the second quarter of the team's 95-90 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, giving him 24 first half points and passing former teammate Shaquille O'Neal for fifth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

The 16-year veteran, who is currently leading the NBA in scoring, averaging 29.3 points per game, finished the game with 28 points after just scoring four points in the second half and going 1-for-10 from the field in the fourth.

Bryant's career total now stands at 28,601, five points better than O'Neal's 28,596 and 2,818 from tying Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain for fourth all-time. Prior to this season, Bryant had averaged 1,857 points per year. He has already scored 733 points his season and if he keeps to his career averages, even in a shorten 66-game NBA season, Bryant will need just 1,694 next season to surpass Chamberlain, something he is no stranger to.

In his senior season at Lower Merion High School, Bryant averaged 30.8 PPG and broke Chamberlain's Pennsylvania's high school scoring record of 2,252 career points, finishing with 2,883.

Last season, Bryant donated more than $400,000 to the Lower Merion School District and had his old gym named after him in honor of his unbelievable NBA career and contributions to his old team, leading the Aces to the 1996 state championship.

Along with trailing Chamberlain's 31,419 career point, Bryant also continues to chase Michael Jordan (32,292), Karl Malone (36,928) and Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).

But considering Bryant and O'Neal's history, he may cherish this individual accomplishment the most. Their ongoing love-hate relationship has been well documented after they won three consecutive championships with one another at the turn of the century and went through an ugly divorce in 2004. However, the two have since made peace, come to appreciate what they accomplished together, are arguably the greatest one-two punch in league history and shared the lime light one last time.

At the 2009 All-Star Game in Arizona, with O'Neal a member of the Phoenix Suns, he and Bryant shared the game's Most Valuable Player Award, leaving many to wonder what could have been.

A dynamic duo, O'Neal (32) and Bryant (24)
shared so many magical moments over their
 careers playing along side one another.

Bryant has since won two more NBA championships. Most recently in 2010, when he famously dedicated the win to having more than O'Neal's four, saying postgame, " I got one more than Shaq".

Booed as usually in his homecoming, it's not the first time Bryant has accomplished something special in front of the Philly faithful. In 2001, Bryant came to Philly "to cut their hearts out" and he did, helping the Lakers win their second of three straight NBA titles. The following year, Bryant returned to Philadelphia, capturing his first of his record four All-Star Game MVPs.

However, Bryant is notorious for shooting a low percentage in the Wells Fargo Center, and it was his rare poor fourth quarter shooting that handed Los Angeles their second loss in-a-row.

Bryant only scored two points in the final quarter, seeing his Lakers drop to 14-11 on the year and 3-9 on the road.

Normally never outdone in crunch time, Bryant was, this time by reserve guard Lou Williams, who is apart of Philadelphia's 'Night Shift'.

Williams is a leading candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year Award and is the 76ers' leading scorer this season, averaging 15.5 PPG. The 25-year-old scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth, leading Philadelphia to their 18th win of the season and snapping their four-game home losing streak to Los Angeles.

The 76ers' 18-7 record ranks them No. 3 in the Eastern Conference, but are they for real? They are 6-5 against teams with a record of .500 or better, while 12-2 against the league's worst. Not to mention they have lost both overtime games they have played this season.

Only time will tell if a team that's leading scorer comes off the bench can sustain permanent success.

Los Angeles was without head coach Mike Brown. He was severing a one-game suspension following his outburst and bump of an official in the team's 96-87 loss in Utah Saturday night.

But this night, even in a loss, belongs to Kobe Bryant.

Back to the Future

Same story, different year.

In the house his brother built, against his arch rival, Eli Manning has defeated the New England Patriots and Tom Brady in the Super Bowl for the second time in four years.

Super Sunday Ready for Super Sequel

With the NFL season reaching it's climatic finish in Indianapolis, legacies are on the line in the rematch we've all been dying to see.

New York Giants v. New England Patriots:
It was more than four year ago the New York Giants stormed into Glendale, Arizona as 12-point underdogs only to defeat the New England Patriots in arguably the greatest upset in Super Bowl history, 17-14.

Sunday they are hoping for much of the same. But the road to get here was anything, but easy.

The Giants' pass rush will hold the key to
stop Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLVI.

The Giants finished the regular season 9-7, capturing their eighth NFC East Division title. They played back-to-back must-win games in weeks 16 and 17 against the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys to even get into the postseason after a 6-2 start.

They are only the third 9-win team to get to the Super Bowl. The previous two both lost, the Los Angeles Rams (1979) and the Arizona Cardinals (2008).

Since that time, New York has reeled off three consecutive postseason wins, beating the Atlanta Falcons in the Big Apple and upsetting the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers away from home, furthering their reputation as road warriors.

Commanding that ship, just like in 2007, is quarterback Eli Manning.

The 31-year-old signal caller was asked at the start of the season if he was in fact an elite quarterback. But even when the doubters questioned his yes response, he did his best to prove them wrong and has his team one win away from football's ultimate prize.

Just like in Super Bowl XLII, Manning threw a record 15 fourth quarter touchdown passes during the year and led multiple game-winning drives and comebacks.

As for his coach, Tom Coughlin now has seven postseason road wins, tying him for the most all-time. His team is 6-1 in their last seven games and have continued to live by his "humble enough to prepare, confident enough to perform" modo throughout. He has helped the franchise improve to 5-0 in conference championship games with the hope of adding their fourth Super Bowl.

Coughin, 65, could become the oldest winning Super Bowl head coach in history with a win Sunday.

On the other side, New England may be favored in Vegas, but it seems they are back to the underdog role -- a role that saw them win the franchise's only three Super Bowls in a four-year span at the turn of the century.

The Patriots are 3-3 in their six previous Super Bowl appearances with the last one a forever haunting nightmare.

Brady is now 16-5 in 21 career postseason games, tying Hall of Famer and his boyhood idol, Joe Montana, for the most wins all-time. This is Brady's fifth Super Bowl appearance, tying another Hall of Famer, John Elway, for the most ever.

If Brady is able to win his fourth career Lombardi Trophy, he join Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to do so. Montana holds the record for most Super Bowl Most Valuable Player awards with three, and passing touchdowns with 11. Comparing those to Brady's two Super Bowl MVPs and seven passing touchdowns, the record books could be rewritten Sunday night in Indy.

He is also just 155 yards from breaking Kurt Warner's career record (1,156) for the most passing yards in the Super Bowl. Warner holds the records for the first (414), second (377) and third (365) most passing yards in a single Super Bowl.

It will be the fifth time Brady and head coach Bill Belichick have appeared in a Super Bowl together which is the most of a quarterback-head coaching duo.

With a win Sunday, Belichick will tie the legendary Chuck Noll for the most Super Bowl wins as a head coach. And history is one his side.

When Belichick, who spent most of his career as a defensive assistant or coordinator prior to becoming a head coach, has had an extra week to prepare for an opponent whether it's in the regular season or postseason, more times than not he comes out on top. His offense averages 25.3 points per game without the extra rest compared to 26.0 PPG with it.

But it has been his defense that truly has excelled.

Belichick's defense has surrendered 20.4 PPG on a week-to-week basis, but with his ability to scheme another week, the defense becomes stingy, allowing just 14.8 PPG.

His .739 winning percentage in the postseason is second to only Vince Lombardi's .900 and it's been his unique style of coaching and willingness to take on players that nobody else wanted that has made him one of the greatest to ever don the sidelines.

This season alone Belichick has 18 undrafted free agents on this AFC champion team, 11 of them coming on defense. A defense that has seen them rank last in numerous major categories and have 16 different players take snaps in their secondary.

Unlike the AFC Championship game,
Chad Ochocinco looks to be active
for the biggest game of his life.

These two teams have met 10 lifetimes meetings with record all even at five wins apiece. However, each of the last two times they have met, the Giants have come out on top, including their improbable Super Bowl XLII victory and most recently in Week 9 of this season.

New York went into Foxborough and Manning rallied them to one of the team's many fourth quarter comebacks this season, 24-20. Tight end Jake Ballard caught the game's go-ahead touchdown and could play a major role once again. The Giants were without wideout Hakeem Nicks and running back Ahmad Bradshaw in that win, both whom have played a major role in the team's recent postseason success.

That was the last time the Patriots lost this season, reeling off 10 straight victories since. But the loss ended New England's 20-game home winning streak and Brady's 31-game home streak -- streaks the Giants are now notorious for breaking.

Most notably breaking New England's 18-game winning streak in the Super Bowl, spoiling their bid a perfection. They are now posed with the task of breaking yet another Patriots' winning streak.

For the quarterbacks, Brady and Manning will meet in the Super Bowl the second time, a feat that has only been accomplished two other times. Bradshaw and Roger Staubach met in Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIII, both won by Bradshaw's Pittsburgh Steelers.

The only other Super Bowl quarterback rematch also contained another Hall of Fame Cowboy quarterback, but this time he was on the other side of the fence. Troy Aikman led Dallas to two consecutive Super Bowl victories over the Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly as a part of Buffalo's four straight Super Bowl losses.

History is on Manning's side.

Prior to their Super Bowl XLII matchup, the Giants lost to the Patriots in Week 17. The loss catapulted New York's season capped by their third championship. But with New England's Week 9 loss to the Giants this season could be a sign of role reversal.

There's 15 players remaining on the Giants' roster that played in their previous Super Bowl meeting, and only seven on the Patriots, so it's safe to say revenge is not a factor.

Or is it?

NYG X-Factor: Giants' Pass Rush


NE X-Factor: Chad Ochocinco


Super Bowl XLVI MVP: Wes Welker


New England, 31-27

All Packed Up

He may not be playing for his second straight Super Bowl title, but Aaron Rodgers has added some more hardware to his trophy case.

The Green Bay Packer quarterback was named the 2011 AP NFL Most Valuable Player Saturday, receiving 48 of the possibly 50 votes, and continuing to carve his legacy. Fellow NFL quarterback, Drew Brees, claimed the remaining two, in large part to his record-breaking campaign.

Brees shattered Dan Marino's 27-year-old mark for the most passing yards in a single-season with 5,476 -- a record he flirted with in 2008.

Rodgers, 28, is the first Packers quarterback to be name the league's MVP since the recently retired Brett Favre won his final of three consecutive MVP awards in 1997. He shared that honor with Detriot's Barry Sanders. That season, Favre and Co. played in their second straight Super Bowl, but lost to the John Elway-led Denver Broncos.

This season, Rodgers threw for 4,643 yards, averaged 9.5 yards per completion, found the end zone 45 times, completed 68.3 percent of his passes and posted a 122.5 passer rating -- all career-highs. His 122.5 passer rating also led the NFL.

After narrowly missing perfection, leading Green Bay to a 15-1 regular season record and an NFC North Division title, Rodgers' dream of winning his second career Super Bowl were crashed.

He would be let down by his usually sure-handed receivers as six different players combined for eight drop passes in their Divisional Round game against the New York Giants, where they upended, 37-20. A bitter end to a once promising season.

Now, Rodgers joins Paul Hornung (1961), Jim Taylor (1962), Bart Starr (1966) and Favre (1995-97) as the only other player to capture an MVP while playing their home games at Lambeau Field. It's the fifth consecutive season the MVP has be given to a quarterback, but he is only the third player to win the award during that time before. New England's Tom Brady (2007, 2010) and Indianapolis' Peyton Manning (2008, 2009) had combined to win the previous four.

While many believed Brees, who has yet to win a MVP, would have got more consideration, he was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year

As for the MVP, Rodgers was drafted in the first-round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of California, but sat and lived in the shadow of Favre for the first three years of his career.

But now with just as many rings as Favre, excelling every season and rapidly ascending to the top of his position, Rodgers no longer lives in anyone's shadow, but his own.

Shopping at K-Mart

Martin adds depth to an already deep
Clipper bench and team.

The Los Angeles Clippers have outdone the Los Angeles Lakers yet again -- a phrase that had never been muttered prior to this season.

Both vying for his services, it was the Clippers that have agreed to a deal with veteran Kenyon Martin, not the Lakers. It's the second time in as many months the usual second-rate Clippers have acquired a player the Lakers were interested in.

In December, the Lakers came to terms on a deal with the New Orleans Hornets that would have sent point guard Chris Paul to Los Angeles. Instead the league nixed the deal and less than a week later Paul would be playing his home games in Staples Center, just not for the Lakers.

Martin, 34, headed overseers to play in the Chinese Basketball Association during the would end of being a 161-day lockout. The former Denver Nugget had been playing for the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers, averaging 13.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, before reaching a buyout agreement with the team on Dec. 21.

He has also been cleared by the FIBA to return to the NBA two weeks before originally thought, making his now highly anticipated Clipper debut on Wednesday, Feb. 8 against the Cleveland Cavaliers very likely.

His former teammate in Denver, J.R. Smith, also played in China to start the 2011-12 season and will another hot commodity in his return to the NBA -- a commodity the Clippers might also be interested in adding to their already talented roster.

Since being named the Consensus 2000 NCAA Player of the Year and drafted with the No. 1 overall pick that same season by the New Jersey Nets, Martin has played 654 career NBA games.

The 6-foot-9 forward has averaged 13.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks per game during his 11-year career.

Fresh of back-to-back NBA Finals appearances with the Nets, Martin's best season came during the 2003-04 campaign. He averaged a career-high 16.7 PPG and grabbed 9.5 rebounds, earning him his first and only All-Star appearance thus far.

Martin will primarily play this season in Los Angeles as Blake Griffin's backup, earning the mid-level exception of $2.5 million.

But after failing short in two straight NBA Finals in the early part of the century, Martin is still of search of first NBA championship. He has come to accomplish that goal in the City of Angels.

Just not with the franchise that possesses 16 of them.

A Healthy Man

Reed-y To Go

The door is open, and Chicago White Sox' rookie reliever Addison Reed should walk right through.

In early December, general manager Kenny Williams traded closer Sergio Santos to the Toronto Blue Jays, in exchange for a then-22-year-old starting pitching prospect, Nestor Molina, leaving the vital closer role vacated.

Only in his second year in Major League Baseball and first as a full-time closer, Santos' 30 saves ranked eighth in the American League, but with the team's plethora of young relievers, Williams felt he was expendable.

Atop that list is the 23-year-old Reed.

Reed made his Major League debut last season on September 4 as one of the month's usual call-ups, but it would be quickly known he was anything, but the usual September call-up, dazzling his piers.

In on mob-up duty with his team trailing 9-0, Reed threw 1 2/3 innings, allowing one run, on four hits, while striking out three in Chicago's eventual 18-2 lose to the division rival Detroit Tigers. Following his debut, Reed would appear in six more games for the White Sox in 2011, including a string of six straight scoreless innings before having it snapped by Cleveland's Asdrubal Cabrera, tagging the right-hander for a three-run home run.

It was the first home run surrendered by Reed in his career.

Reed finished the year with a 3.68 earned run average, while striking out 12 and walking just one in 7 1/2 innings. But it was his road to the show that is most impressive.

A Southern California native, Reed attended Los Osos High School, where he played varsity baseball all four years. However, known for his big bat in the middle of the Grizzlies' lineup, Reed didn't starting pitching until his junior year, pitching his first two high school innings that year.

It wouldn't until his senior season that Reed would flourish in his future home.

Reed went 5-1 during his final year with the Grizzlies, posting a 2.53 ERA and becoming the ace of the staff. Not to mention never losing his ability to hit, batting .446 with 10 doubles, 13 home runs and 34 runs batted in.

After his graduation, Reed attended San Diego State University, joining Hall of Famer, Tony Gwynn's squad. He spent three seasons as an Aztec, mainly closing games for National's ace and good friend, Stephen Strasburg. In 2009, he led the nation in saves, converting all 20 of his opportunities, setting a new team and Mountain West Conference record.

Reed decided to forgo his senior season at San Diego after being drafted in the third-round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft by the White Sox.

After a great season in the rookie ball for the Great Fall Voyagers, Reed begin this past season with only one thing in mind. Combining for 43 appearances for four different teams, including Class A Kannapolis, Class A Advanced Winston-Salem, Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, Reed rapidly ascended the Minor League system.

Prior to receive his call-up, Reed's numbers were eye-popping. In 78 2/3 innings, he posted microscopic 1.26 ERA, giving up just 43 hits. He also struck out 111 Minor League hitters compared to only 11 base-on-balls.

He was recently named to MLB.com's Top Prospect list, which increased from 50 to 100 this year. Reed found himself just making the cut, claiming No. 100.

Veterans Matt Thorton and Jesse Crain, both whom have experiencing closing, are the favorites heading into camp to land the closer job, but both have been discussed in possibly trade rumors this winter, leaving the door open.

Along with his intimidating 6-foot-4 stature and unorthodox delivery, Reed is armed with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball and a devastating change up that could have him closing games on the South Side by the end of 2012.