MMA Top 10 Lightweights: 2011 Starts With a Bang

by Michael David SmithThe UFC might not have a better main event all year than it had in its first main event of the year, as Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fought for 25 furious minutes and showed why they're the two best lightweights in the world.

Is it disappointing that Edgar-Maynard ended up a draw? In a sense, it's always disappointing, in any competition, not to see a definitive winner. But this time the draw was the right decision (I scored it 47-47) Fortunately, the UFC made the right decision and said after the fight that Edgar and Maynard will get it on one more time to determine who's No. 1.

At the moment, Edgar and Maynard are 1-2 on my list and just about everyone else's. Take a look at how the rest of the lightweight rankings stack up below.

 

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Broncos Embrace Elway's Return and the Promise of Change

Filed under: Broncos, AFC West

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.-- The 2010 Denver Broncos reconvened for a final time Monday, attending a farewell meeting and cleaning out their lockers before heading into an offseason dominated by the certainty of change that is coming.

"A lot of us probably will not be back here next year," said running back Correll Buckhalter the day after the Broncos capped a 4-12 season with a 33-28 loss to the San Diego Chargers. That is part of the game and the nature of this business."

The wheels are in motion already for changes at the top. Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who led the Broncos to back-to-back NFL championships in the late 1990s before retiring, is expected to be named vice president of football operations on Wednesday.

He'll be third in line in the Broncos' power structure, under owner Pat Bowlen and chief operating officer Joe Ellis with broad responsibility over all aspects of the team's football operations. Brian Xanders is expected to be retained as general manager, although he will report to Elway.

"I think it is a great fit. A guy like John Elway who had a lot of success in this league and who was around a lot of great players and knows how to win. I think he will bring a good positive energy to this organization," Buckhalter said. "He will help them hand-select guys who will help this organization win and get back to the tradition of winning Super Bowls."

Just by bringing back the beloved Elway, who endures as the face of the franchise a dozen years after his retirement, the organization has begun to undo the damage from the tumultuous reign of Josh McDaniels.

Bowlen fired McDaniels as coach on Dec. 6, amidst the worst stretch on the field in 40 years and a day after the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention for a fifth consecutive season. McDaniels' fate also was influenced by a series of personnel blunders and a videotaping scandal that thoroughly embarrassed the organization and fueled a backlash by fans already unhappy with McDaniels' management of the team.

Ellis, meanwhile, emphatically shot down any notion that Elway's return was being orchestrated by the organization as a public relations move.

"This isn't about him," Ellis told the Denver Post. "This is about the Denver Broncos and this community and our fans and us getting better as quickly as we can. He'll roll up his sleeve and do his job. I've had enough meetings with him to know that."

 

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Gillette Won't Renew Tiger Woods' Contract

by FanHouse Newswire

Filed under: PGA, Sports Business and Media

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Procter & Gamble Co. will not renew its endorsement deal with Tiger Woods at the end of the year, adding another name to the list of companies that cut ties with the golfer after last year's revelations of marital infidelities.

The company used Woods, Roger Federer, Lionel Messi and dozens of other athletes as part of its three-year "Gillette Champions" marketing campaign. Gillette said Thursday it was phasing out that program and not renewing the contract with Woods and several other athletes. It stopped using Woods himself in the campaign months ago.

The golfer was once the most sought-after pitchman in sports and was the first athlete to earn $1 billion from endorsement agreements. However, many corporations cut ties or distanced themselves from Woods after the scandal that broke just over a year ago and dominated headlines for months.

Accenture LLP, AT&T Inc. and Gatorade all dropped Woods as an endorser. Companies such as Gillette and Tag Heuer didn't end their relationships outright but stopped featuring him in advertisements.

 

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Adam Robinson Dismissed by Iowa

Filed under: Iowa, Big 10, Police Blotter

Adam Robinson is no longer a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes football team.

Coach Kirk Ferentz told The Gazette Monday that Robinson had been dismissed from the team, but offered no further comment

Robinson, a 21-year-old sophomore, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana on Dec. 27 and has a court appearance Jan. 5.

The 5-foot-9, 205-pound running back was one of the bigger weapons on the Iowa offense through much of the 2010 season. In 10 games -- before falling injured with an ankle problem -- Robinson rushed for 941 yards and 10 touchdowns on 203 carries. He also caught 24 passes for 290 yards and a TD. He rushed for more than 100 yards in six of the nine full games he played (he didn't start against Ohio State because of what Ferentz called "academic indigestion").

Iowa endured a disappointing 2010 season, marred by suspensions and arrests, not to mention going just 7-5 in a regular season that once contained national championship aspirations. The Hawkeyes did close on a high note, beating No. 14 Missouri 27-24 in the Insight Bowl. In that game, Ferentz found his running back of the future. Freshman tailback Marcus Coker gained 219 yards and scored two touchdowns on 33 rushing attempts.

 

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Broncos Embrace Elway's Return and the Promise of Change

Filed under: Broncos, AFC West

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.-- The 2010 Denver Broncos reconvened for a final time Monday, attending a farewell meeting and cleaning out their lockers before heading into an offseason dominated by the certainty of change that is coming.

"A lot of us probably will not be back here next year," said running back Correll Buckhalter the day after the Broncos capped a 4-12 season with a 33-28 loss to the San Diego Chargers. That is part of the game and the nature of this business."

The wheels are in motion already for changes at the top. Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who led the Broncos to back-to-back NFL championships in the late 1990s before retiring, is expected to be named vice president of football operations on Wednesday.

He'll be third in line in the Broncos' power structure, under owner Pat Bowlen and chief operating officer Joe Ellis with broad responsibility over all aspects of the team's football operations. Brian Xanders is expected to be retained as general manager, although he will report to Elway.

"I think it is a great fit. A guy like John Elway who had a lot of success in this league and who was around a lot of great players and knows how to win. I think he will bring a good positive energy to this organization," Buckhalter said. "He will help them hand-select guys who will help this organization win and get back to the tradition of winning Super Bowls."

Just by bringing back the beloved Elway, who endures as the face of the franchise a dozen years after his retirement, the organization has begun to undo the damage from the tumultuous reign of Josh McDaniels.

Bowlen fired McDaniels as coach on Dec. 6, amidst the worst stretch on the field in 40 years and a day after the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention for a fifth consecutive season. McDaniels' fate also was influenced by a series of personnel blunders and a videotaping scandal that thoroughly embarrassed the organization and fueled a backlash by fans already unhappy with McDaniels' management of the team.

Ellis, meanwhile, emphatically shot down any notion that Elway's return was being orchestrated by the organization as a public relations move.

"This isn't about him," Ellis told the Denver Post. "This is about the Denver Broncos and this community and our fans and us getting better as quickly as we can. He'll roll up his sleeve and do his job. I've had enough meetings with him to know that."

 

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ION plans on airing the 'Ultimate Fighting Challenge'

As Cofield mentioned earlier today, the preliminary fights for UFC 125 will air on ION, a cable network that seems to be fond of infomercials, "The Ghost Whisperer" and "Without a Trace." Also, according to my Comcast menu, they're airing "Ultimate Fighting Challenge," which will be sandwiched between "Timecop" and "Space Cowboys."

Yikes. Who wants to be the one to tell them that they actually signed a deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship? 

The move is curious, because in the UFC and WEC's past television partnerships, the brands made sense together. Spike is focused on the male demographic, while Versus already had a full slate of sports programming.

ION, on the other hand, "focuses on general entertainment for adults 25-54." Its programming screams, "We don't want to offend anyone!" How will the average Jennifer Love Hewitt fan react when she tunes to ION, hoping for "Ghost Whisperer," and happens upon a slugfest between Marcus Davis and Jeremy Stephens?

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UFC 125's Three* Stars: Maynard, Edgar, Stann and Poirier

*If the judges couldn't decide, why should Cagewriter? Even with the unsatisfying ending, UFC 125 delivered with knockouts, submissions and the derailment of a hype train. Who were the best?

No. 1 star(s) -- Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar: From Maynard's overwhelming first round to Edgar's comeback, both fighters came to their bout in the best shape of their lives, and left it all in the cage. There aren't enough sports cliches to sum up each of their performances, and how unsatisfying -- if correct -- the draw was. They'll both get another shot at each other, but with how evenly they were matched on Saturday, will it matter?

No. 2 star -- Brian Stann: The "All-American" has found his home at middleweight, much to Leben's dismay. Stann earned his first-round TKO by staying calm and composed as he used an array of strikes to knock Leben out.

No. 3 star -- Dustin Poirier: Heading into this bout, Josh Grispi was on a hot streak. He hadn't lost since 2006, was undefeated in the WEC and had earned a title shot against Jose Aldo. Poirier was supposed to be a place holder. Apparently, no one told Poirier that, because he dominated the stand-up game on the way to a unanimous decision win. He'll need to work on his ground game, but Poirier is clearly one to watch. 

Honorable mention -- Greg Jackson: The well-respected coach was recently criticized by UFC president Dana White for teaching his fighters a boring style. How did his fighters on UFC 125 respond? Stann won by TKO, and Clay Guida won with a submission. Jackson's strategy for Guida took his two biggest strengths -- wrestling and cardio endurance -- and married them for a style that confused and frustrated Takanori Gomi.

Dishonorable mention -- Thiago Silva: His antics during his win over Brandon Vera caught the eye of another UFC light heavyweight. "Wow that slapping was so disrespectful.. I'd love to give him a slap in the face," Jon Jones tweeted. Currently, Jones is training for a February fight with Ryan Bader, but if he really wants a chance to slap Silva, then it should be given to him. 

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Gap Contest Winners

Okay, wow, did this take a long time to figure out. After counting how many people entered to win each item, I assigned each person a number based on the order they signed up, then used Random.org to pick a winner.

So, let's start with the jeans...

 

C - Sexy Boot 26/2L (I have two pairs)

13 people entered. And the winners are...  #6 - Amanda K. and #4 - Amanda R.  (the sixth and fourth person to sign up to win C)

 

D - Sexy Boot 28/6L

13 people entered. And the winner is... #7 - Madeline

 

E - Sexy Boot 29/8L

12 people entered. And the winner is... #12 - Rachel E.

 

F - Sexy Boot 31/12L

25 people entered. And the winner is... #16 - Laura R.

 

G - Real Straight 27/4

19 people entered. And the winner is... #2 - Kristi D.

 

H - Always Skinny 27/4

16 people entered. And the winner is... #16 - Kathleen S.

 

I - Always Skinny 30/10

11 people entered. And the winner is... #9 - Sara F.

 

J - Always Skinny 31/12

14 people entered. And the winner is... #2 - Kara P.

 

Next, the gift card...

A - $50 Gap Gift Card

121 people entered. And the winner is... #83 - Elena

 

And finally, the certificates for a free pair of jeans...

 B - Gift Certificate for a Pair of Gap 1969 Jeans (I have six)

112 people entered. And the winners are... #54 - Lesli L., #8 - Brenda R., #32 - Ellene, #37 - Heather V., #111 - Megahn K., and #60 - Jennifer R.

 

Congratulations, everyone!

For the people who didn't win, you will all be getting a boobie prize. Once I get all the jeans sent out, I'll contact you to get your address. Please note, boobie prizes will not be a photo of my boobies. They will, however, be something in my apartment that I don't want anymore... maybe a book or a CD or a vase with a cheetah design on it that my mom gave me a long time ago that I simply do not use.* Your boobie prize is to stay wrapped and under the tree until Christmas morning, at which point you may open it. I'm decluttering my apartment, so it's either you or goodwill, and to be honest, this seemed more fun.

God, I totally feel like Oprah right now.

(And honestly, would you rather win a trip to Australia or an Ally McBeal CD?** Because I have one of those and someone's going to get it.)

*

**

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Lady Gaga To Unveil Polaroid 'Grey Label' Project At CES

Pop star's collaboration with the instant-camera maker will be revealed Thursday.
By James Montgomery

Lady Gaga
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

Nearly a year ago, when Lady Gaga announced that she had signed on as a creative director with Polaroid, the singer told fans she'd already begun work on a series of "prototypes in the vein of fashion/technology/photography innovation." This Thursday, we'll finally get to see the fruits of her labor.

That's when Polaroid will unveil their so-called "Grey Label," the end result of — as the company puts it in a statement — "a collaboration between two of the most influential icons of our time: Polaroid and Lady Gaga." The launch will happen at the massive Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but little monsters can also watch it unfold live on Polaroid.com at 3:30 p.m. PT.

Of course, it's not exactly clear what Polaroid's Grey Label will actually entail (the former instant-camera giant says it will be "the next generation instant experience"), but there's already a fancy website dedicated to the project, complete with a clock counting down to the big reveal.

Gaga isn't speaking about the project either (she's probably too busy unveiling pertinent information about her upcoming Born This Way album — and her backside — on Twitter, but in April, she held a creative meeting with Polaroid in Tokyo, in which she apparently wowed her new corporate partners with her ideas.

"It's very clear from our first few sessions that she is a creative tour-de-force, and a key player on the Polaroid team. ... The partnership is all channeling Lady Gaga's fashion sense to create innovative products with her fans in mind," a post on Polaroid's website read last year. "The collaboration will deliver new products that mix the best of 'instant' with digital era multi-media. Lady Gaga has a personal connection to the Polaroid experience that she wants to share with the world through the introduction of products that will appeal to a new generation."

Related Photos

• The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga

Related Artists

• Lady Gaga

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Twin Brothers Jarron and Jason Collins Look and Play Alike

Filed under: Clippers, Hawks

It hasn't happened since March 1, 2008. But it just might Sunday.

That would be Collins vs. Collins. And Clippers forward Ryan Gomes is ready.

"I'll make sure I definitely get a DVD of that game,'' Gomes said. "They should pay-per-view it. They do it with Manny Pacquiao. But they need to put this one out.''

OK, so Gomes is joking. But it still would be fun to watch if Clippers reserve center Jarron Collins and his twin, Atlanta backup pivot Jason Collins, battle each other at the Staples Center for what would be the 11th time in their NBA careers.

They're both 10-year veterans from Stanford, but they usually have been in opposite conferences, meaning their teams usually meet just twice a season. Throw in some DNP-CDs (for you novices, that's "did not play - coach's decision") for each, and their meetings have been further limited.

When they do face each other, it's like one is playing against himself.

 

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2011: The Enterprise Resets

On a recent call, an analyst shared a story about a company whose IT infrastructure was completely wiped out in a natural disaster. Forced to start from scratch, the company reinvented the spirit and composition of its enterprise IT strategy, and the set of solutions that emerged from the rubble made their organization inherently more mobile and efficient. Which begs the question: what would enterprise IT look like if all companies were afforded the opportunity to "start over?" In 2011, we might just find out. Other less destructive but incredibly powerful drivers for change are at work, and the coming year will be one of massive transformation in the enterprise. The cloud has tipped for the enterprise IDC forecasts that worldwide IT spending will hit $1.6 trillion this year, with 13% growth coming from software and services, and public cloud solutions making up the largest growth area. Cloud services are no longer on the periphery. 2011 will make this undoubtedly clear, bringing a massive wave of adoption, innovation and transformation as the cloud crosses the chasm from the early adopters to larger, more pragmatic organizations.

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Oh No!

Santa left one of his reindeer here!

Merry Christmas!

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The 11 things MMA fans want to see in 2011

Looking ahead to the new year, Cagewriter is turning it up to eleven. In no particular order, here are the 11 things MMA needs for 2011.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Alistair Overeem: Despite his loss to Fabricio Werdum, the negotiations just to get Fedor fighting in the U.S. again have been treacherous, and now it seems that he will fight Antonio Silva. Meanwhile, Overeem has kept busy making history in K-1. Strikeforce has two of the best heavyweights in the world on their roster. It should not be difficult to get them to fight.

Improved judging: How many fighters need to get screwed by judges before changes are made in MMA's judging system? As the sport continues to grow and improve, parity will follow and more fights will require a judges' call. These fighters deserve competent judges.

A challenge for Jose Aldo: The featherweight champ looked head and shoulders above Faber and Manny Gamburyan in 2010. As fun as it is to watch Aldo beat up on his opponents, someone who challenges him could be much more fun. 

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber coaching on "The Ultimate Fighter": This match-up is full of win. Bantamweights Cruz and Faber are top-flight fighters, already dislike each other, and both come from camps that would provide excellent coaches and training partner cameos. Going with smaller fighters would not only invigorate the TUF franchise, it would also introduce a larger MMA audience to the WEC fighters joining the UFC.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Nick Diaz: Enough with the trash talk, the viral videos and the catchphrases. Strikeforce needs to make this fight happen.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva: The two have been at the top of pound-for-pound rankings for years, and are just one weight class apart. GSP has asked for time to put on weight to fight Silva, who walks around at more than 200 lbs. UFC, give him time, and then let's make this fight happen.

Legal MMA in New York: Seriously, Empire State. Get your act together and legalize MMA. It's ludicrous for a state with a rich history of boxing and wrestling not to allow mixed martial arts.

A rejuvenated Brock Lesnar: Losing his title to Cain Velasquez exposed Lesnar's distaste for getting punched in the face, a liability for someone whose job involves getting punched in the face. It will be fascinating to see how Lesnar reacts to being an underdog, and watching to see if he has the resolve to come back should be an interesting storyline. 

More pre and post-fight shows: Here at Yahoo! Sports, there was a pre-fight show for UFC 121. ESPN's "MMA Live" did pre and post-fight shows for UFC 116 and 121, and Versus had shows for the final two WEC events. Every one of these shows added to the MMA viewing experience. 

Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez: To compete with the UFC juggernaut, the smart thing for Strikeforce and Bellator would be to team up to make the best fights. This should start with a bout between their two lightweight champions. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney probably ended any hopes for this bout with overzealous negotiation tactics, but it still would be a fun fight for fans to watch.

More Pat Miletich on the microphone: The man is both a legendary coach and fighter, and now he uses his talents as a commentator for Strikeforce. Inexplicably, he isn't always included on their broadcast team. Please, give us more Pat.

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Japan strikes back: Kawajiri manhandles Thomson

Japanese MMA needed this one. The nation many considered the equal to Brazil and the U.S. at one time, has fallen on hard times. The stars of Japan - Norifumi Yamamoto, Hayato Sakurai, Shinya Aoki, Kazushi Sakuraba and Takanori Gomi - got old, lazy or exposed over the last few years. Tatsuya Kawajiri gained back a small measure of that lost respect by taking out former Strikeforce lightweight champ Josh Thomson. He did it pretty easily via unanimous decision at Dynamite!! 2010 in Saitama, Japan.

Sure he was representing his country, but Kawajiri (27-6-2) individually needed the win badly as well.

He was coming off an odd performance against Aoki back in July, where the submission ace took him apart on the ground. Kawajiri refused to tap to a heel hook and was badly injured. That was the same Aoki, who looked terrible just a few months earlier against current Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez. Yes, the same Melendez who split two wars against Thomson.

It should've been an easy win for Thomson this morning, right? That's not the way it works in MMA. Styles makes fights and Kawajiri's strong wrestling made it difficult for Thomson to get his standup and dynamic kicking game going.

Kawajiri didn't do anything fancy to get Thomson (18-4) to the ground. In fact, his powerful work out of the clinch was very American-like. Once on the ground, Thomson never threatened a submission and had to constantly work to keep Kawajiri from improving his position. The Japanese star scored the mount in each round and threatened with an arm-triangle submission in the first and third rounds. 

This may serve as a wake-up call for Thomson, who recently suggested that he was getting a little bored with the sport and there was a lack of challenges at lightweight. 

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Sakuraba's Ear Takes a Beating at Dynamite 2010

by Michael David SmithJapanese mixed martial arts legend Kazushi Sakuraba suffered one of the ugliest losses in MMA history at Dynamite 2010, as a bloody tear of his cauliflower ear caused his welterweight title fight with Marius Zaromskis to be called to a halt.

Like many MMA veterans, Sakuraba's ears tell the story of his long career, but he had never had anything happen to those ears like what happened against Zaromskis: Early in the fight a Zaromskis punch caused Sakuraba's ear to burst open, with blood spewing forth. The referee called the fight to a stop and asked the ringside doctor to examine the ear, but it was determined that Sakuraba was good to continue.

 

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Kim grapples his way to UFC 125 decision win over Diaz

Dong Hyun Kim won a 29-28 decision over Nate Diaz at UFC 125 on Saturday, but didn't win any fans with his grappling-heavy style. 

In the first round, Diaz gestured several times to get Kim to come forward, so he did. He took Diaz down, but had trouble in trying to pass the guard. However, he still was able to control the battle on the ground, preventing Diaz from any submissions while landing punches and elbows. Diaz threatened with a heel hook late in the round, but Kim was able to spin out of it.

Kim's takedown ability was the story in the second round. Diaz had no ability to stop the takedown, and then on the ground, could not utilized his vaunted jiu-jitsu to try for any submissions. Kim landed strikes, beating up Diaz's face. Diaz had a shot near the end of the round as he took Kim's back, but Kim slipped out and back to his feet.

Controversy ruled the third round. Kim was on his feet, but bent over with his hand on the ground, making him a downed opponent. Diaz landed a knee, which is illegal. Referee Yves Levigne stopped the bout and gave Kim time to recover. Replays showed that Kim's hand was barely grazing the ground when the knee was delivered.

When action started again, Diaz was aggressive on his feet, clearly knowing that he was down on the score cards. Diaz landed several shots, including kicks, punches and a kick to the face, late in the fight.

Despite the booing crowd, the Korean asked for a title shot. "I am Stun Gun. I want GSP!" he said after the bout.

"I really wanted to stand with him, but the way he is acting in the Octagon, I just wanted to shut him down," Kim said through a translator after his bout.

This is Kim's 14th win, with five wins in the UFC. (His loss to Karo Parisyan was changed to a no contest because of Parisyan's positive drug test.) Diaz is now 13-6.

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AOL?s Awkward Billboard Ad About Your Boss

"Come work for AOL before your boss does." I still don't get why our parent company spells AOL in all caps but uses "Aol" in its logo. There's probably a memo around here somewhere that explains it. But that isn't what this post is about. This is a picture of a new billboard ad recently put up along highway 101 in Silicon Valley, visible to southbound traffic around the Whipple exit a few miles north of Palo Alto. We first heard about it from a tipster, who called it "odd." And I agree.

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Brett Favre: 'I Know It's Time'

Filed under: Vikings, NFL Rumors, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

Brett Favre, who has retired and un-retired several times during his Hall of Fame career, insisted after the Vikings' season-ending loss to the Detroit Lions that he really is finished for good, though he never explicitly announced his retirement.

"It's been a wonderful ride for me," Favre said. "One game, one season does not define me. There will be people (who) say, 'It's a shame he went out that way.' (But I am truly grateful for the opportunity ...

"I hope people admire the way I played, my passion for it. I hold no regrets ... It was special, a wonderful experience. I wouldn't change it for anything."

Favre is surely right that many fans will think it a shame that he went out the way he did: The 2010 season was Favre's worst season statistically, the Vikings were one of the league's most disappointing teams, and Favre was fined $50,000 for failing to cooperate with an NFL investigation into allegations that he sexually harassed a former Jets employee.

And yet, Favre indicated that his only real regret is that he suffered a shoulder injury and a concussion that caused him to miss most of the final month of the season.

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TCU Knocks Off Wisconsin in Rose Bowl

Filed under: TCU, Wisconsin, Big 10, Mountain West, Bowl Games

PASADENA, Calif. -- Texas Christian University, led by senior quarterback Andy Dalton, defeated Wisconsin 21-19 on Saturday to capture the 97th Rose Bowl and cap an unbeaten season.

The No. 3 Horned Frogs (13-0) outquicked No. 5 Wisconsin (11-2) for the most part, and survived a pounding running game that brought the Badgers to 21-19 with two minutes left. That's when TCU outside linebacker Tank Carder thwarted Wisconsin's attempt at a tying two-point conversion by swatting Scott Tolzien's pass.

"I saw him cock his arm back, so I jumped up and made a play," Carder said.

Securing the victory, TCU running back Waymon James ran five yards to convert on third down.

The victory -- TCU's 36th since the start of the 2008 season -- struck a blow for not only the Mountain West Conference, but teams such as Boise State that are vying for BCS acceptance.

"I've been saying for awhile that parity in college football has hit," said TCU coach Gary Patterson. "We played for us, and we played for everybody else out there that wanted a chance."

---

More Rose Bowl: TCU No Cinderella Story | Missed Opportunities Haunt Wisconsin

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Stanford-UConn Sets Women's Basketball Viewership Mark for ESPN

by Milton Kent

Filed under: Connecticut, Stanford, Women's Basketball, Sports Business and Media

It turns out Stanford's win over the Connecticut women's basketball team Thursday made history on a pair of fronts.

Not only did the Cardinal snap the Huskies' record 90-game win streak, but the game was the most watched regular-season women's basketball game in ESPN history.

The game posted a 1.5 metered market Nielsen overnight rating, besting a 1.4 rating garnered by a Connecticut-Duke game played Feb. 1, 2003. ESPN reports that the last 15 minutes of the game did a 3.1 rating.

Thursday's contest, won by Stanford 71-59, will re-air Friday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN Classic.

 

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