Three-time world champion Curt Schilling has announced that he will retire.

“This party has officially ended,” Schilling wrote in an email. “After being blessed to experience 23 years of playing professional baseball in front of the world’s best fans in so many different places, it is with zero regrets that I am making my retirement official.

“To say I’ve been blessed would be like calling Refrigerator Perry ‘a bit overweight.’ The things I was allowed to experience, the people I was able to call friends, teammates, mentors, coaches and opponents, the travel, all of it, are far more than anything I ever thought possible in my lifetime.”

Schilling was as good at pitching as he was being annoying and obnoxious…and that says a lot about how good of a pitcher he was.

Schilling compiled a record of 216-146, notching 3,116 strikeouts in 20 years of MLB service, and is the only pitcher to win a World Series start for three different teams.

The Buffalo Bills have signed former Cowboy, Eagle and 49er WR Terrell Owens to a one-year $6.5 million deal. Owens was released last week by the Dallas Cowboys and many teams publicly said that they had no interest in adding the problematic wideout.

If T.O. couldn’t get along with Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo, let’s see how he acts when Trent Edwards skips numerous passes to him and the losses mount up.

Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian announced today that the Colts have released WR Marvin Harrison.

“We today have released Marvin Harrison because of salary cap considerations,” Polian said.

“Marvin let us know his preference was to be released. Both Jim Irsay and I felt very strongly that after Marvin’s long and dedicated service to the Colts, we would, in this painful circumstance, be guided by Marvin’s wishes.

“This is a sad day for the Colts. Marvin Harrison, in addition to being a certain Hall of Famer, has been a good friend, model professional and a loyal and dedicated teammate. His record-setting achievements brought about by immense talent, work ethic and dignified professional demeanor have thrilled Colts fans for a generation. Marvin today takes his place alongside Raymond Berry, forming the greatest receiving tandem in Colts history. He will, in due time, join Raymond in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and take his rightful place with the greatest players in the history of the game.

“On behalf of his legion of fans in Indianapolis and his many friends and admirers in the Colts organization, Jim Irsay and I sincerely thank Marvin for all he has done for us. We wish him every blessing and success in the future.”

“When Marvin’s playing career comes to an end, we look forward to bringing him “Home” to Indianapolis, installing him in the Ring of Honor and joining all his fans in thanking him and celebrating his remarkable career.

“Godspeed Marvin, we will miss you.”

Months ago, Cole Hamels went on New York radio and agreed with the host’s assertion that the Mets were “choke artists.” Of course, this got Mets fans whining and crying, much like they did when Jimmy Rollins said “finally, we’re the team to beat” before the 2007 season. Well, after Cole Hamels was shown the back cover of the day’s national edition of the New York Post which read “Cole War,” he tried to calm things down a bit.

“I think it kind of gets out of hand,” he said of all the Phillies-Mets rivalry chatter. “But you know what? If it spurs enough (interest) to where we get a lot more attention when we face each other, that’s fine.”

Hamels did say that he has a lot of respect for the Mets players.

“I don’t want it to be bad blood against their players and us because we respect each other,” he said. “But if it really gets the fans involved, that’s OK.

“I know that I have the Phillies fans on my side and I know I’m never going to have the Mets fans on my side. So it’s not like they’re going to cheer me when I go out there. I guess if it gets more exciting when we play, I think that’s good for baseball. I think that’s what baseball needs. It needs some good rivalries to forget about the other stuff off the field that’s been happening.”

Does he wish he never said anything at all?

“I’ll live with it, and I’ll never regret anything I say because I learn from it,” Hamels said. “It’s a situation where I can try to apologize to players because I don’t want them to be offended by it. I have a lot of respect for all the players on their team. I guess it’s just something to stir the pot. Hopefully it’ll get things going for when we compete during the season.”

He was asked if he’ll talk to the Mets players about all this when he sees them.

“Yeah, most likely,” he said. “And I think they’ll understand. They know. They know the game. We try to play it as best we can. We like to be competitive. But we’re not trying to kill each other out on the field because further down the line we might be playing with these guys. It’s not like it used to be back in the day when players could go at each other because they knew they were never going to see them because they never had the free agency or trades that they do now. I have a lot of respect for them. They’re major leaguers and they play for a big-time franchise and city.”

Who else can’t wait for May 1, when the Phils meet the Mets for the first time this season? I have my popcorn ready.

I realize I am probably dating myself when I say I couldn’t believe when I heard that Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd wants to pitch again. Some of you Red Sox fans remember him and others that are too young have probably just heard the stories. Just for reference, Boyd pitched for the Red Sox in their heartbreaking 1986 playoff run.

But yes, Oil Can Boyd is 49 years old and wants to pitch in the Bigs for the first time in 18 years.

“Satchel [Paige] being my idol and knowing he didn’t come into the (majors) until he was in his early 40s, that’s always been in the back of my mind,” Boyd told The Boston Globe. “Now, I’ve been given back the fastball I once had. I want to play.”

Boyd’s former catcher thinks he can actually pull it off.

“He looks no different to me now than when I caught him in Texas (with the Rangers). He still has the same passion. I don’t know if he was getting to 90 because we didn’t have a (radar) gun, but he still had the same stuff. The same tight slider, curve, fastball,” said former catcher Mike Stanley.

In a 10-season career with the Boston Red Sox, Montreal Expos and Texas Rangers, Boyd collected a 78-77 record with 799 strikeouts and a 4.04 ERA in 1389.2 innings. In 2005, Boyd tried to come back when he pitched for the Brockton Rox of the independent Can-Am League.

A colorful personality, Boyd was usually known for a good quote, even if it didn’t make sense. After a 1986 game against the Indians was canceled due to fog, Boyd said “That’s what they get for building a park on the ocean.” The stadium is actually built right next to Lake Erie.

Boyd had a few troubles in his past, including admittance to a psychiatric ward in 1986 after a fit of rage driven by the fact that he didn’t make the All-Star team. In 2005, he was indicted by a federal grand jury for threatening a girlfriend and her son.

But all that behind him, the man nicknamed Oil Can for his penchant for beer drinking when he was just 15-years old is ready to get back on the mound just shy of his 50th birthday.

“I have nothing to lose, and all a major league team has to lose is 15 minutes,” Boyd said. “Give me 15 minutes and I’ll show I can still pitch. That’s all I want.”

Former New England Patriots LB and special teamer Larry Izzo will be the only football player to testify against Barry Bonds in his perjury trial. Izzo will tell the courts that he received steroids shipments from Bonds’ trainer Greg Anderson and BALCO, proving that Anderson was indeed in the steroid business.

Some seem to think that because Izzo is the only football player scheduled to be a witness, that it shows how clean the NFL is. I’m not so sure about that. Let’s see what happens after we get more information about the names that Dana Stubblefield named in his case for lying to federal investigators.

But, getting back to the Bonds case. Probably more damaging will be the testimony of Bonds’ former personal shopper Kathy Hoskins, who claims she saw Anderson inject Bonds with steroids. In his original statement in 2003, Bonds claims that Anderson never injected him with anything, so this claim would certainly put Bonds into the category of “lying under oath.”

Bonds is about as cooked as can be. He has pleaded “not guilty” to perjury, but there seems to be no shortage of people willing to come forward and say he’s full of it.

Brett Favre has informed the Jets that he plans to retire for the second straight year.

This would be huge news if he hadn’t already gone through his long, dramatic “retirement” last year. And even if he is serious this time, it seems as though the general public is ready for him to go away. At this point, the whole New York Jets experiment is nothing more than the answer to a trivia question. The Jets, however, seem to think it was worth it.

“I had a great conversation with Brett this morning” owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. “Considering that he came from a totally different environment and joined our team during training camp, his performance last season was extraordinary. As I spoke with people throughout the organization, they all told me how much they enjoyed working with him. Brett Favre is a Hall-of-Fame player, but he is also a Hall-of-Fame person. Brett, Deanna and his family will always be a part of the Jets family.”

After spending some $140 million on free agents, the Jets ended the season poorly on their way to a 9-7 record, which was surely not good enough to make the playoffs in the ultra-competitive AFC. Favre contributed his fair share to the disappointing season as he led the NFL in interceptions (again) with 22. And his 79.3 passer rating over the second half of the season was a big reason that head coach Eric Mangini got fired.

Favre should have just done the right thing last season and stayed retired. Instead, he cost people their jobs in NY and divided a locker room. It’s time for Brett to go away. He is overrated. For all the talk of how he is a non-mortal, he only won one Super Bowl, which puts him in elite company along with Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Mark Rypien.

Please, Brett, I hope you are serious this time. Stay retired and stop destroying teams and reputations.

The New England Patriots have surprised no one by slapping the franchise tag on free-agent-to-be Matt Cassel.

If the Patriots choose to keep him, they will be charged $14.65 million, as the franchise tag grants a player the average of the top five salaries in the NFL at his position.

Depending on the rehab schedule of Tom Brady, the Pats could also opt to trade Cassel and not have some $29 million committed to one position on the team.

Cassel completed 63.4% of his passes and threw for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns with 11 picks while leading the team to 11 wins.

Bob Costas has officially left HBO for MLB’s fledgling network that is aptly titled, MLB Network.

The move will not affect his relationship with NBC, where he has worked since 1980.

“No, we don’t have a problem,” NBC spokesman Brian Walker said.

Costas hosted the first-ever program on MLB Network, while HBO demanded cable exclusivity.

“Bob Costas was a terrific addition when he joined HBO Sports eight years ago, providing us with a distinct and unique presence,” HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said. “Television is about change, and we respect Bob’s decision to move to the MLB Network.”

That it’s better to be pissed off, than pissed on. According to a gossip column in the NY Daily News, Patriots QB Matt Cassel was in the bathroom at ESPN’s Tampa Bay Super Bowl Bash Friday night, when a drunken patron tried to cut in front of him.

A source told the Daily News that “Matt told him to wait his turn and headed into the urinals.”

So then the guy barges in and proceeds to urinate all over Cassel’s leg. The drunk was tossed and Matt then returned to the party with pee on his leg.

Unreal.

The Steelers just knocked off the Cardinals 27-23 in what was one of the best Super Bowls ever. Santonio Holmes, aka Santonio Swann, was huge as he nabbed a Big Ben pass to get the Steelers inside the five-yard line with under a minute to go. Santonio Swann, the game’s MVP, then hauled in a brilliant pass in the corner of the end zone to give Pittsburgh the lead with about :35 seconds to go. He is the third Steelers wide receiver to win Super Bowl MVP.

Phenomenal, phenomenal game.

If you are trying to get a hold of Guilfoil, don’t bother. He just dialed 866-NFL-5959 to buy his eco-friendly Super Bowl hat and t-shirt. So he’ll be busy for a while.

Lynn Swann was the MVP of Super Bowl X, and Hines Ward took the award in 2005′s Super Bowl XL.

Mr. Holmes didn’t put up huge numbers during the season, but had a big day when it counted. Hence, Santonio Swann.

John Maine and the New York Mets avoided arbitration by agreeing on a one-year $2.6 million contract.

Maine wanted $3 million and the Mets were offering $2.2 million. So, some genius figured out that $2.6 million was in the middle, and probably got paid for providing that information. Maine can also earn an additional $25,000 if he pitches 200+ innings. Wow, thanks for adding that in there, Omar.

Maine was 10-8 with a 4.18 ERA in 25 starts and 140 innings in 2008, but missed the last five weeks due to a shoulder injury. He was up and down during the season, but overall is a bargain at $2.6 million.

Pedro Feliciano is the last player the Mets have facing arbitration. He made $1.04 million last year and would like to get $1.95 million.

Everyone’s favorite team wrecker is getting his own reality show on VH1, the network announced today.

T.O.’s best friends and publicists, Monique Jackson and Kita Williams, will help Terrell try to get his crap together. They will act as “matchmakers and therapists” for him.

Would anyone want that job? Didn’t think so. And you can call this show stupid all you like, you know we’ll all be watching.

Brett Pedroia, older brother of Red Sox second baseman Dustin, recently turned himself in to authorities on charges of child molestation. The incident occurred four years ago, but the victim just recently told his parents.

Pedroia is facing two counts of oral copulation and lewd acts with a child under 14.

The 30-year old was booked into Yolo County jail with his bail set at $50,000.

Phillies 2B Chase Utley thinks he will be ready for Opening Day following off-season hip surgery. Utley underwent the surgery on November 24th and was initially thought to be out 2-3 months of the season.

“In two to three weeks”"that would be nice” Utley said. “If everything goes as planned, that’s what we want to do. And right now, we’re on schedule.”

Utley, who hit .292 with a career-high 33 bombs in 2008, first started feeling pain in his hip in May or June. He played through the injury to help lead the Phillies to their first World Series title since 1980.

“It’s about listening to my body. Right now, we are listening and it’s responding well” Utley said. “If that continues to happen, then I don’t see why I won’t be ready for opening day.”

As of now, he thinks he can start swinging a bat in a few weeks, provided there are no hiccups.

“If there are some setbacks”"which are a possibility”"I’m not going to be dumb about it and move through it” Utley added. “I’ll listen to my body and when it’s ready, it’s ready. Hopefully that will be Opening Day.”

General Manager Reuben Amaro, Jr. is “cautiously optimistic” about his early return.

“Everything that we’ve done so far, there have been no problems” Utley said.

His skipper thinks if anyone can do it, it’s Utley.

“I know how (Utley) works out” added manager Charlie Manuel. “He’s more determined than anyone in the world, really.”

A California native, Utley has spent a ton of time in Philly this off-season rehabbing and thinks he can be ready for the Braves on April 5th.

AIG, the global insurance giant that has fallen on hard economic times to say the least, has informed Manchester United of the English Premiere League that they will not be renewing their sponsorship. The four-year, $100 million deal expires May 2010 and AIG says they are already trying to re-work that last year.

“In October, AIG told Manchester United that it is not renewing its sponsorship,” the company told Reuters.

One the world’s largest insurers, AIG had to accept $85 billion from the United States government to avoid bankruptcy. That number soon ballooned to $152 billion.

So now, the company is trying to cut costs and ending their sponsorship of one of the world’s most popular sports teams is one way to do it.

Some might argue that taking an executive retreat to the tune of $443,000 shortly after the bailout isn’t a frugal way to do business, but that’s neither here nor there.

The replacement for AIG? It could be India-based real estate and financial services giant Sahara.

“The process for the 2010 season has already started,” Man. U. spokesman Philip Townsend said. “Sahara is one of a number of companies who have expressed an interest.”

Think back to the last time you heard the name “Pacman” in a headline and it was associated with something positive. Maybe during the April 2005 NFL Draft? Probably.

Well, this time, Pacman Jones is being sued by his former agent/attorney Manny Arora, who claims that Pacman owes him some $10,000 in lawyer’s fees. Apparently, the Altanta-based attorney represented Jones or his family in 18 separate cases, which makes you wonder how the fees are only in the $10k range.

The Cowboys recently released Pacman after ESPN drudged up an old story that was already discussed a long time ago because that’s the type of news agency they are.

The suit lists Deborah Jones, James Jones, Lewis Kueffor and Fleming Daniels as the defendants that Arora assisted. The charges range from speeding to kidnapping and simple battery. Oh, and that’s right, Daniels actually was charged with murder. And you thought Pacman was the big a-hole? Sounds like he’s the choir boy in his family.

Pacman has been arrested six times and has been involved in a dozen incidents with the cops since the Titans drafted him in 2005.

The Baltimore Ravens have updated RB Willis McGahee’s status after he was knocked senseless and carried off the field on a stretcher Sunday night in the Ravens’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game. Steelers’ safety Ryan Clark was the one who laid the wood.

“McGahee was released from Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh early this morning and returned immediately to Baltimore” said Kevin Byrne, the Ravens’ senior V.P. of public and community relations. “He is resting at his home today. It is expected that Willis will have a complete recovery from the head and neck injuries he suffered last night.”

It was reported last night that he had a concussion and would end up being fine. That seems to be the case.

With the emergence of LaRon McClain and Ray Rice, it’s unlikely that McGahee will be back with the Ravens next season.

Multiple sources have told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan will become the next head coach of the New York Jets.

The sources told Mort that he signed a four-year deal and that an announcement will come later on Monday. Ryan will be introduced at a press conference on Wednesday, according to the sources.

Apparently, Ryan’s deal is almost identical to the four-year $11.5 million deal that Steve Spagnuolo signed in St. Louis last week.

Ryan is the son of former Eagles and Cardinals head coach Buddy Ryan. He has a brother Rob who also coaches in the NFL.

The Phillies have avoided arbitration with stud ace Cole Hamels and signed him to a three-year $20.5 million contract.

The Phils got some more signin’ to do because Ryan Howard, Ryan Madson, Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Jayson Werth and Chad Durbin are still eligible for arbitration.

Hamels’ deal takes care of his arbitration years and will not cut into his free agent years. He was 14-10 in 2008 with a 3.09 ERA. He had a 1.80 ERA in the playoffs and was World Series and NLCS MVP.

Apparently, Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer doesn’t like ending a season with four straight losses and blowing a 9-3 record to miss the playoffs. I know this because head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen paid with their heads.

That’s right, the Bucs have fired Gruden and Allen and will not look to rebuild their front office.

Gruden was 57-55 during his tenure with the Bucs, but he did win a Super Bowl. Granted, it was with Tony Dungy’s defense, but he won nonetheless.

ESPN’s Peter Gammons is reporting that the Red Sox and Kevin Youkilis have agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal.

Youkilis broke out in 2008, hitting .312 with 29 home runs and 115 RBIs.

The return of Ladainian Tomlinson to the San Diego Chargers is not looking good. L.T. got hurt again this year and missed the team’s divisional playoff at Pittsburgh, while backup Darren Sproles continued to prove that he’s one nasty back. The Chargers don’t want to make the same mistake they made by retaining L.T. and letting Michael Turner go, so now the trade rumors are flying.

“I think it’s ridiculous to be talking about trade and me not being here, that’s just my personal opinion” Tomlinson told Jim Trotter of SI.com. “I know every team has a right to make trades and all this stuff, but I just think it’s ridiculous to be talking about this, to have this stuff in the media when this could be handled behind closed doors and in a professional way. Now I have people calling me, talking about this all the time; this has become a big story and I don’t want this.”

Tomlinson is set to make $6.275 million next year and $24 million over the next three years. For an aging tailback that has been run into the ground since his rookie year in 2001? Yeah, I don’t think so. And it doesn’t seem that General Manager A.J. Smith thinks so either.

“L.T. will be discussed in great length on a number of issues by this organization based on [the three years he has remaining on his contract]“ G.M. A.J. Smith told SI. “Now that may be shocking to you or it may be shocking to L.T. or anyone else out there, and if it is I don’t know what to tell you; but as the general manager of the football team, the recommendations I’m going to make to Dean Spanos, like I’ve done all these years, I think it’s valid to discuss a football player like L.T. and [what has happened] the last couple of years, looking ahead to a contract that has three years remaining on it.”

That doesn’t sound good.

“All of that may be stunning to people, but as the GM here — where I told you I would pass his name a few years ago — it will be discussed heavily,” he continued. “I think it’s valid; I don’t think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s important at this point in time, as unreasonable as that may sound to many people or to you, I think it’s a sound football decision.”

That sounds less good. He’s hardly speaking like a guy who can’t wait to have L.T. return to the fold.

But, what do the Chargers plan to do, cut him? It’s possible. Given the money that he is set to earn, who would give up anything worth a damn in a trade? He’s been plagued by injuries the past two years and when it’s a running backs time, it’s his time. It goes pretty quickly.

However, according to several GM’s, who spoke to SI on condition of anonymity, there would actually be some market for him, although none could imagine giving up a first-day pick.

“You could see from those final two games that he played in when he was healthy that he still has juice,” said one GM. “But running backs who have had as many touches as him tend to drop off quickly after 30, and he’s had problems with injuries.”

Regardless, it seems like L.T.’s time in San Diego is over.

Coedmagazine.com has a list of 10 professional athletes who are on Twitter. I’ve listed them here and you can click on their names to follow them:

-Giants QB Eli Manning (does he slur and lisp when he Tweets?)

-Snowboarder Shaun White

-NY Jets safety Kerry Rhodes

-Skateboarder Mike Vallely (who? Ok, if you say so)

-Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal

-Golfer Natalie Gulbis (mmmmmm…I’m not into celebs, but I’d follow her wherever. She’s got huuuge Tweets)

-Former 49er WR Jerry Rice

-Overexposed Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps

-Tennis player Andy Murray

-Bicyclist Lance Armstrong

On Tuesday night, the Orlando Magic bombed an NBA-record 23 three-pointers during a rout of the Sacramento Kings. Could someone please get a hand in their face? Please?

The Toronto Raptors set the previous league record in 2005 with 21.

End-of-the-bench small forward Jeremy Richardson nailed the final dagger with 20 seconds left as the Magic throttled the Kings (didn’t they use to be good?) 139-107. Jameer Nelson hit on all five of his three-pointers to finish with 23 points, J.J. Redick hit 4-of-6 for 15, and Rashard Lewis (19 points), Hedo Turkoglu (17 points) and Keith Bogans (12 points) nailed three each from behind the line.

Overall, the Magic went 23-of-37 from beyond the arc, which is just stupid.

At one point, the Kings had six men on the floor (most experts agree that the NBA limit is five).

“They can’t play six against us,” Orlando Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy yelled at the referees. You can’t blame the Kings for trying though. Clearly, five wasn’t enough.

Jay Glazer of Foxsports.com reports that Tony Dungy will retire from coaching. Sources have told Glazer that Dungy is making the rounds at the Colts complex and saying his good-byes.

Dungy is holding a 5 P.M. press conference today, where he is expected to make his official announcement.

Dungy finishes his head coaching career with a 92-33 record and a Super Bowl victory. He also made the playoffs in each of his seven seasons as coach of the Colts.

The Butkus Award has been given annually to the best college linebacker since 1985. Now, they have expanded it to include NFL and high school. The first NFL winner is Cowboys OLB DeMarcus Ware. He led the league with 20 sacks and six forced fumbles.

“It’s a great thing to be the first of anything, especially to be nominated for something like the Butkus Award,” said Ware, who was named to the NFL’s All-Pro team for the third straight year. “To be known as the most well-rounded linebacker, you have to able to drop into coverage, rush the passer but also to be able to stop the run when it comes at you.”

To win the Butkus Award, you have to be a complete player.

“The criteria is a three-down player who’s not taken out and not a specialty player, like a lot of them are,” Butkus said. “I’m very happy with the choice. He’s an impact player. He goes after it. That’s what I like.”

The Associated Press has announced the results of the NFL All-Pro voting. This isn’t Pro Bowl voting, this is the best in the entire league.

OFFENSE

Quarterback
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis, 28; Drew Brees, New Orleans, 10; Philip Rivers, San Diego, 9; Chad Pennington, Miami, 2; Kurt Warner, Arizona, 1.

y-Running Backs
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 45; Michael Turner, Atlanta, 40; DeAngelo Williams, Carolina, 13; Clinton Portis, Washington, 1.

Fullback
Le’Ron McClain, Baltimore, 38; Madison Hedgecock, NY Giants, 5; Mike Sellers, Washington, 4; Tony Richardson, NY Jets, 2; Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta, 1.

Tight End
Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City, 33; Jason Witten, Dallas, 14; Dallas Clark, Indianapolis, 2; Antonio Gates, San Diego, 1.

Wide Receivers
Andre Johnson, Houston, 45; Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona, 21; Steve Smith, Carolina, 16; Wes Welker, New England, 6; Anquan Boldin, Arizona, 5; Roddy White, Atlanta, 4; Brandon Marshall, Denver, 1; Randy Moss, New England, 1; Calvin Johnson, Detroit, 1.

Tackles
Jordan Gross, Carolina, 34; Michael Roos, Tennessee, 32; Ryan Clady, Denver, 14; David Stewart, Tennessee, 3; Walter Jones, Seattle, 3; Jason Peters, Buffalo, 3; David Diehl, NY Giants, 3; Joe Thomas, Cleveland, 3; Chris Samuels, Washington, 2; Jon Runyan, Philadelphia, 1; Levi Brown, Arizona, 1; Ryan Harris, Denver, 1.

Guards
Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota, 40; Chris Snee, NY Giants, 32; Kris Dielman, San Diego, 10; Alan Faneca, NY Jets, 7; Logan Mankins, New England, 4; Leonard Davis, Dallas, 2; Travelle Wharton, Carolina, 2; Harvey Dahl, Atlanta, 1; Ben Grubbs, Baltimore, 1; Justin Smiley, Miami, 1.

Center
Kevin Mawae, Tennessee, 25; Shaun O’Hara, NY Giants, 18; Nick Mangold, NY Jets, 3; Jeff Saturday, Indianapolis, 2; Casey Wiegmann, Denver, 1; Todd McClure, Atlanta, 1.

Placekicker
Stephen Gostkowski, New England, 28; John Carney, NY Giants, 13; Rob Bironas, Tennessee, 3; Jason Hanson, Detroit, 3; Phil Dawson, Cleveland, 2; Jason Elam, Atlanta, 1.

Kick Returner
Leon Washington, NY Jets, 19; Clifton Smith, Tampa Bay, 16; Leodis McKelvin, Buffalo, 4; Josh Cribbs, Cleveland, 4; Darren Sproles, San Diego, 2‚½; Johnnie Lee Higgins, Oakland, 1‚½; Roscoe Parrish, Buffalo, 1; Justin Miller, Oakland, 1; Reggie Bush, New Orleans, 1.

DEFENSE

Ends
Justin Tuck, NY Giants, 26; Jared Allen, Minnesota, 21; Julius Peppers, Carolina, 20; John Abraham, Atlanta, 17; Mario Williams, Houston, 8; Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis, 4; Aaron Smith, Pittsburgh, 2; DeMarcus Ware, Dallas, 1; Trent Cole, Philadelphia, 1.

Tackles
Albert Haynesworth, Tennessee, 49; Kevin Williams, Minnesota, 25; Kris Jenkins, NY Jets, 11; Haloti Ngata, Baltimore, 6; Jay Ratliff, Dallas, 3; Casey Hampton, Pittsburgh, 2; Shaun Rogers, Cleveland, 2; Pat Williams, Minnesota, 1; Fred Robbins, NY Giants, 1.

Outside Linebackers
DaMarcus Ware, Dallas, 45; James Harrison, Pittsburgh, 38; Joey Porter, Miami, 13; Terrell Suggs, Baltimore, 2; LaMarr Woodley, Pittsburgh 1; Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay, 1.

y-Inside Linebacker
Ray Lewis, Baltimore, 39; Jon Beason, Carolina, 18; Patrick Willis, San Francisco, 17; James Farrior, Pittsburgh, 12; London Fletcher, Washington, 8; Barrett Ruud, Tampa Bay, 1; James Harrison, Pittsburgh, 1; Stewart Bradley, Philadelphia, 1; Bart Scott, Baltimore, 1; Jerod Mayo, New England, 1.

Cornerbacks
Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland, 32; Cortland Finnegan, Tennessee, 31; Charles Woodson, Green Bay, 17; Antoine Winfield, Minnesota, 10; Asante Samuel, New England, 3; Darrelle Revis, NY Jets, 2; Champ Bailey, Denver, 1; Ronde Barber, Tampa Bay, 1; Corey Webster, NY Giants 1; Will Allen, Miami, 1; Terence Newman, Dallas, 1.

Safeties
Ed Reed, Baltimore, 50; Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh, 46; Adrian Wilson, Arizona, 2; Quintin Mikell, Philadelphia, 1; Nick Collins, Green Bay, 1.

Punter
Shane Lechler, Oakland, 25; Donnie Jones, St. Louis, 10; Jeff Feagles, NY Giants, 6; Sam Koch, Baltimore, 5; Mike Scifres, San Diego, 3; Brad Maynard, Chicago, 1.

Not that anyone ever really thought he was a murderer, but his name certainly came up in an investigation. A Woburn, Mass. man admitted in court that he made up his testimony regarding the 1993 murder of Dr. Linda Goudey, who was found strangled in her car back in October of that year.

Richard Chambers, 45, plead guilty on Thursday to charges of misleading police and perjury, when he told investigators that the last person he saw with the doctor was a man that looked like then NFL QB Boomer Esiason.

The case is still unsolved, but Dr. Timothy Stryker was found liable in civil court in 2006 and ordered to pay $15 million to Goudey’s family.

Boomer Esiason can finally relax.

This was one of Guilfoil’s day job stories.

John Smoltz to leave Atlanta for…the Red Sox?

MLB sources have told Foxsports.com’s Ken Rosenthal that the Boston Red Sox are nearing a deal with long-time Atlanta Brave pitcher John Smoltz. It’s a one-year deal for a reported $5.5 million for the 41-year old pitcher.

The deal is also packed with incentives that would potentially push the deal to $10 million for the year, sources said.

Smoltz, who is coming off shoulder surgery, would give the Red Sox six starting pitchers. He would join Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield and Brad Penny. Smoltz has been a closer in the past, but the Red Sox already have Jonathan Papelbon, so there is no need for him there.

Smoltz has been with the Braves since 1987.

UPDATE: ESPN says it’s now final.

The Dallas Cowboys have announced that they will release Pacman Jones. The move will be made official on February 9th, the first day when teams can make waiver requests.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones even assigned him his own security guards to follow him around to make sure he didn’t get in any trouble. Didn’t happen. He still got into a fight with a security guard in a hotel bathroom and was suspended four games for the incident. Surely, Jones doesn’t believe he can keep his nose clean for an entire offseason and doesn’t want to deal with the headaches.

As it is now, Jones has enough headaches on the roster.

UPDATE: Well isn’t this something?

A team source told Ed Werder that Pacman was released after the team learned that Pacman was involved in a second shooting in 2007. In an upcoming “Outside the Lines” segment, three Atlanta men allege that Jones arranged for someone to shoot at them just three months after he was suspended for a year by the NFL.

“He was surprised, and I think he was obviously somewhat hurt,” said Worrick Robinson, Jones’ agent. “At the same time, he understands the business behind what is happening here.”

“Outside the Lines” was told by an informant that Jones ordered the shooting following a dispute with one of the men. Authorities say the case is open, but they are not actively investigating the matter. Whatever that means.

It’s tough to think at this point that Jones won’t get a lifetime ban from the NFL.

WEEI’s Michael Holley reports that former Jets head coach Eric Mangini will be named head coach of the Cleveland Browns by the end of the week. Holley also says that Patriots VP of Personnel Scott Pioli will likely not follow Mangini to Cleveland, instead opting for the Kansas City job or staying in New England.

Mangini was shown the door in New York after his Jets stumbled from an 8-3 record to a 9-7 finish and missed the playoffs. It’s a stunning move considering Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum still has a job. It was Tannenbaum who traded for Brett Favre and spent all that money on Calvin Pace, Alan Faneca, Damien Woody and Kris Jenkins, while trading away Jonathan Vilma and Jon Abraham. Yeah, that’s Mangini’s fault.

Just like they said they would, Boston College has fired head football coach Jeff Jagodzinski, whose name is roughly as fun to type as that of a certain Illinois governor.

B.C. warned Jagodzinski that if he interviewed for the head coaching vacancy of the N.Y. Jets that they would fire him. Apparently, they weren’t kidding.

“Jeff and I were really divided on the future of this program,” said B.C.’s athletic director Gene DeFilippo. “I just thought I hired a coach that I thought was going to be here a long time and I thought Jeff was that guy. I am looking for someone who can give a commitment of at least four or five years, for the length of the contract.”

He said that there will be an interim coach assigned until he can find a long-term replacement.

Phillies left-handed setup man J.C. Romero will be suspended 50 games in 2009 for taking an over-the-counter supplement that contained a banned substance. An arbitrator ruled that he was “negligent” in not knowing what was in the supplement. However, MLB and Romero agree that he did not take any performance-enhancing drugs.

“One thing I’m going to say, I’m a man and I’m accountable for my actions,” the Phillies reliever said in an attempt to tell his side to the media before MLB makes an announcement on Tuesday. “If I’m guilty of something, you know what? I will face it. But I’m not guilty, and I’m not letting people that don’t really know me judge me over something and accuse me of something that I didn’t do.”

Romero was a brilliant setup man for the Phils and very important to their championship run. He stands to lose $1.25 million in the suspension.

“If people are intimidated because Major League [Baseball] is a big organization, so be it,” Romero said. “But they are not going to make an example of me thinking that I’m just a [dumb] Puerto Rican. It’s not going to happen. It’s not the way I’m built.

“For me to keep my mouth shut? That’s not the right thing to do. If they want to bump me out of the game, so be it. What am I going to do, just sit back and take it? When I know in my heart I’m innocent? That doesn’t fly well with me and it doesn’t fly well in my house, either.”

Hopefully, Phillies fans enjoyed their World Series victory, because they will have to start their run to repeat without three valuable pieces to the puzzle. Chase Utley will be out several months following hip surgery, and Pat Burrell signed with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Fox 29 News in Philadelphia reports that Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham will hold a press conference on Tuesday at 11 A.M. and is expected to disclose the results of the investigation of an April North Philly shooting. The shooting occurred in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia where one person was shot by someone else…with a gun owned by Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison.

Harrison is a Philly native and owns several businesses in the area, including the car wash where the gun was eventually recovered. We should know on Tuesday afternoon the extent to which Harrison was involved. If he was involved in the shooting as he was in the Colts offense this year, he should be cleared of all wrong doing.

UPDATE: Abraham announced that there is not sufficient evidence to prosecute Harrison.

Peyton Manning has won his third NFL MVP award, becoming just the second player (Brett Favre) in NFL history to do so.

“I know it’s an individual award, but … truly, in my opinion, a team award,” said Manning, who won the award mainly because no one else was having a truly dominant season.

“It’s been the most rewarding regular season that I’ve been a part of in my 11 years, and I have to believe a lot of the other players and even coaches might feel the same way,” Manning continued.

Manning got off to a slow start to the 2008 season after having two offseason surgeries on a bursa sac in his left knee. His Colts started 3-4, but he’s had them rolling ever since, winning nine straight.

Despite the sluggish start, he still extended his NFL record of 4,000-yard seasons to nine and finished with 27 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and a 95.0 passer rating.

“It’s just been different,” Manning said. “It’s been an entirely different season. I think the one thing that’s been inaccurate is that the seasons we were starting out 13-0, 8-0, 7-0, that it was easy. So all of a sudden this year we are 3-4 and now things are hard. Believe me, it’s never easy to win a game. I’ve never taken for granted winning a football game.”

Miami Dolphins QB Chad Pennington has won the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award for 2008. It’s the second time he’s claimed the award, when he nabbed it with the Jets in 2006.

Pennington revived a 1-15 Dolphins team and took them to the playoffs with an 11-5 record this season.

“I think in my experience over the last nine years is that when you’re winning, you feel appreciated; when you’re losing, it gets a little tough,” he said. “That’s just part of winning and losing, especially in this league because the stakes are high, a lot of eyes watching you, both individually and as a team.

“I don’t think the appreciation level ever changes, you just have to understand that there’s always going to be highs and lows. And it’s always to the extreme because the middle of the road doesn’t sail and it’s not exciting. The extremes, that’s what’s exciting, and that’s what everybody leans on.”

It’s not tough to imagine that no one was happier to see Pennington come to the Dolphins than first-year head coach Tony Sparano.

“He’s vital to this team, he really is,” Sparano said. “With Chad coming in here and doing what he’s done right now and bringing a bunch of people together, these young players, what he’s brought to them from a leadership standpoint.”

In the award’s 11 seasons, Pennington is the only player to win it twice.

In a landslide win of 49 out of 50 votes, New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo has won the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. Mayo led a linebacker group that struggled at times with 137 tackles and proved the Pats were smart for grabbing him at #10 in this past April’s Draft.

“Jerod’s done a lot for us,” coach Bill Belichick said. “We’ve asked a lot of him and from Day 1 he’s really been a well-prepared, very mature player who can do a lot of things: play the running game, play in the passing game, blitz, helps us in the kicking game.

“He’s smart, makes a lot of defensive adjustments and calls for us there. He runs well. He’s tough. He’s a good all-around football player, very mature, very professional. For a rookie, he’s probably as professional as anybody I’ve coached.”

A starter all season, Mayo is the sixth-straight linebacker to win the award.

“Jerod’s taken his leadership up,” linebacker Mike Vrabel said. “I think he came in as a rookie and obviously learned the playbook and learned everything in and out and physically can go out there and make any play that we needed him to.”

I wonder if the Jets are still excited they got Vernon Gholston at #6.

The National Football Post is reporting that the Denver Broncos have fired head coach Mike Shanahan and his staff. As of now, we don’t have any more information on this story. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Adam Schefter of NFLN has confirmed the move.

The first Falcons rookie quarterback to start a season opener since Steve Bartkowski in 1975, Matt Ryan was named Offensive Rookie of the Year today after throwing for 3,440 yards, 16 TD’s and 11 INT’s. Edging out Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, Ryan also led his Falcons (11-5) to an improbable playoff berth despite extremely low expectations.

“It’s pretty exciting” Ryan said. “It’s a great honor and to tell you the truth, I’m pretty humbled by it.”

Ryan was drafted #3 overall out of Boston College this past April, but wasn’t expected to play so well so early.

“I’m very proud of Matt’s accomplishments, accelerated maturity and very evident leadership skills while at the helm in his first year as a professional quarterback” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said.

The Falcons travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals at 4:30 PM EDT on Saturday, January 3rd for Wild Card Weekend.