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They were stretched all around, as far as the eye could see, at the BCS National Championship Game last night in Miami. The Florida Gators, and game MVP Tim Tebow, beat the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 to capture their second National Title in 3 years. Florida was also voted the AP National Champion in the poll released this morning.

Experts expected the game to be a shoot-out with two of the best offenses in the NCAA going head to head. Oklahoma did not score less than 35 points in any game this season en route to a 12-1 regular-season record and Big 12 championship. The Gators were also an offensive juggernaut, also finishing 12-1 and winning the SEC championship. It was Florida’s #4 ranked defense that made the difference.

Despite having the Heisman Trophy winner in Sam Bradford, Oklahoma was not able to put the points on the board that they are used to. They were stopped at the goal line twice in the first half, once on 4th down and once with an interception. Still, the game was neck and neck in the second half until Florida blocked an Oklahoma field goal attempt. After that play one could feel the momentum swing to Florida, and they ran away with the game. Tebow and Percy Harvin, who had missed a month with an injury and stayed in Florida over Christmas to rehab for the game, put the Sooners away.

Alex Stepney - Manchester United

You’re probably aware of the expression “screaming your head off,” but here’s an incident of “screaming your jaw off.” Alex Stepney, a former Manchester United goalkeeper, was reaming out his defensemen in a match against Birmingham City in an effort to encourage a more spirited performance. He yelled so hard that he dislocated his jaw. Contrary to those who believe soccer is a slow sport, it does provide enough jaw-dropping plays.

Cal Ripken Jr. - Baltimore Orioles

Cal Ripken Jr. earned the nickname “Iron Man” for his impeccable toughness and endurance, both of which helped him to play in an MLB-record 2,632 consecutive games. But just because you’re made of iron doesn’t mean you will go without injury. In the 1996 All-Star Game’s pre-game photo session, pitcher Roberto Hernandez lost his balance and started to fall backward. He swung his arms in an effort to regain his balance and his forearm connected with and broke Ripken’s nose. In typical Ripken fashion, he still played — and started — the All-Star Game.

Derrick Mason - Baltimore Ravens

Most golfers scream the word “fore” during an errant shot, but NFL wide receiver Derrick Mason likely uttered a different four-letter word when playing golf during a charity tournament. Mason was teeing off when he made an awkward swing, causing his hand to twist and break his wrist. Unfortunately, a mulligan didn’t help in this situation.

Jaromir Jagr - New York Rangers

Enforcers are a dying breed in the new NHL, but the following example is one reason to keep them around. At the end of an ugly playoff loss to the rival New Jersey Devils, the New York Rangers’ goal-scorer Jaromir Jagr tried to punch Scott Gomez. Jagr used his left hand for the swipe but whiffed and dislocated his shoulder. Jagr has made many defenders and goaltenders look foolish with his stick, but the tables turned when he tried to use his fist.

Bret Barberie - Chicago Cubs

Brett Barberie, former baseball utility man and ex-husband of the foxy Jillian Barberie, obviously had good taste in women and seemingly had good taste in food. He was making nachos one night with all the mixings, including chili peppers and hot sauce, but he neglected to wash his hands after touching the spicy ingredients. He later went to put in his contact lenses and felt a severe burning sensation; consequently he missed a game. Talk about taking your eye off the ball.

Mark Smith - Milwaukee Brewers

By the time most of us reach the age of 3 we have been thoroughly lectured about sticking our hands into electrical sockets, fans or other potentially dangerous devices. Unfortunately, Mark Smith, a former MLB outfielder, must have missed that lesson. He was fairly average with his bat through his eight-year career, but he quite obviously didn’t excel in evaluating situations. When faced with a hotel room air conditioner that he thought was broken, Smith cut his hand after sticking it directly inside the unit to ascertain what was causing the malfunction. Maybe it was working fine after all.

Bill Gramatica - Miami Dolphins

They say NFL kickers are a dime a dozen, but Bill Gramatica found a way to stand out in an anonymous grouping. He wasn’t more skilled than your average kicker, but his exuberant celebration style made him stand apart. After one particular routine field goal with the Arizona Cardinals, he jumped high in the air for his typical superfluous celebration but landed awkwardly and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his nonkicking knee. He claimed that he wasn’t doing it for show, but his reasoning for excessive celebration didn’t have a leg to stand on.

David Seaman - Manchester City

Soap operas are fictional and seemingly never-ending, but most addicts can’t stand to go one day without their fix. Chalk up goalkeeper David Seaman as a fiend and his bad habit cost him: While trying to tape an episode of Coronation Street, Britain’s longest running soap, Seaman pulled a back muscle reaching for the remote. In his defense, it is perennially one the UK’s highest-rated shows.

Gus Frerotte - St. Louis Rams

NFL touchdown celebrations have run the gamut from Merton Hanks’ funky chicken dance to Chad Johnson’s Riverdance, but none were as foolish as Gus Frerotte’s festivity. After scoring in the second quarter of a game for the Washington Redskins, Frerotte went to headbutt the padded wall just outside the end zone. Unfortunately, the stadium wall consisted of a thin layer of foam and a very thick layer of concrete, which put Frerotte into a woozy state. He was then quickly ambulanced to the hospital to get treatment for his head injury.

Kevin Johnson - Phoenix Suns

After a walk-off hit, shot or goal, most teams clear their bench and euphorically celebrate together in a mob. After Phoenix Suns guard Kevin Johnson netted a game-winning basket, teammate Charles Barkley greeted him with a big bear hug. Barkley squeezed him like a tube of toothpaste and clasped so hard that Johnson’s shoulder popped and dislocated, making the moment truly bittersweet.

It would be hard to tell which one he is more proud of, but the two are definitely correlated. A man with a beautiful wife has an inner confidence that allows him to succeed or a very successful man suddenly finds himself surrounded by beautiful women. Either way, Peyton Manning is a lucky man.

The Indianapolis Colts quarterback won a record tying 3rd MVP today by a landslide. He receieved 32 votes while the two tied for second got 4 each. He and Brett Favre are the only 3 time MVP’s in NFL history. Although Manning has had statistically better seasons, and a Super Bowl championship, this was by far the best performance of his career.

Coming off of two knee surgeries over the summer, Manning was not sure if he would even play to start the year. He did, but the Colts started 3-4. Aroundweek 9 Manning got his strength back and something clicked in his head. He led the Colts to 9 straight victories, including wins at New England, Pittsburgh, and Tennessee, and they are the hottest team headed into the Playoffs this weekend. Manning finished the season with 4,002 yards passing, the only player to surpass 4,000 yards for 9 straight season, with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, one of the world’s best midfielders, was charged with assault Tuesday in connection with a bar fight. His team expects him to remain a vital part of the club as it bids for its first English league title since 1990.

Gerrard was charged with two other men after spending 24 hours in custody following the disturbance in the seaside resort of Southport in Merseyside. The bar’s 34-year-old disc jockey, Marcus McGee, lost a tooth and was cut on his forehead. He was hospitalized and released.

“Steven has been an outstanding servant to Liverpool for the last 10 years and the club will give him all the support he needs at this time,” Liverpool said in a statement.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez sees Gerrard as the key to his club’s success.

“He is now one of the big names of world football and 10 years in the same club and scoring (109) goals for a midfielder is amazing,” Benitez said this season.

Gerrard’s standing in world soccer was reinforced in October when international players named him to a team-of-the-year lineup. Gerrard has acknowledged that the plaudits have intensified his scrutiny.

Gerrard has played 70 matches for England and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II after leading Liverpool to the Champions League title in 2005.

“He is an example to everyone,” Benitez said. “He always trains hard and is a good professional. He is always committed on the pitch. It is a kind of leadership that all captains should aspire to.”

Thats why I love Britain so much, who cares that he beat the crap out of some DJ? He’s a damn good player. I feel America should adopt this complete sense of disregard.

Or so Thomas Jones of the New York Jets would have you believe. Jones, and other members of Favre’s new team, blasted the 39 year old quarterback in the media earlier in the week. One player, who did not have the courage to give his name, said Favre was distant and the reason that the Jets did not make the playoffs. “There was a lot of resentment in the room about him. He never socialized with us, never went to dinner with anyone. It’s the quarterback throwing the ball all over the place. And he didn’t suffer any repercussions. He kept doing it. People said [coach] Eric [Mangini] called him out in meetings. I didn’t see it. Eric treated him like he was Brett Favre. A lot of guys didn’t like it,” the anonymous player told the Newark Star Ledger.

In the last game of the NFL season Favre threw three interceptions in a 24-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The loss sealed another playoff-less season for the Jets. After a win over the then undefeated Tennessee Titans in week 12 the Jets were 8-3 and considered by many the team to beat in the AFC. From that point on they went 1-4 and Favre played poorly down the stretch. While team owner Woody Johnson wants Favre back for next season, he fired Head Coach Eric Mangini, once labeled Manginius, earlier in the week.

Brett Favre has always been labeled a “gunslinger”, a quarterback who took big risks that led to more big rewards than big mistakes. He is the league’s only 3-time MVP and holds all the major records for quarterbacks. The player he replaced this year, Chad Pennington, won the comeback player of the year award and led his team to the playoffs. But, Favre took a team that finished last season 4-12 and brought them to the brink of the postseason. It was his risky play that elevated the team, and while it backfired later in the season, it was the reason that New York was so close to the playoffs. His teamates should remember where they were a year ago and be grateful that Favre has made their team competitve once again.

This weekend the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys in the last ever regular season game at Texas Stadium. Both teams are fighting for a playoff berth and desperately need a win. The loser will probably end up on the outside of the NFL postseason, while the winner will be practically guaranteed a spot. Both teams have practiced and prepared all week as if this is a postseason game, but one Baltimore player has something on his mind besides football. Terrell Suggs cannot wait to see Jessica Simpson.

Simpson is the boyfriend of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and can usually be found in a luxury box high above the stadium. She is regularly shown on TV and the stadium’s Jumbotron. There is also a little bit of Dallas superstition that says that her boyfriend does not play well when she is in attendance. Either he tries too hard to impress her or he can’t get her off his mind when his concentration is required to be elsewhere. Perhaps this is what Suggs is hoping for.

The Baltimore Ravens have always been known for their defense, and this season is no different. They are a tough, swarming defense with some of the best defensive players and athletes in the NFL. It is hard enough to react to their defense with a clear head, let alone with visions of your pop star girlfriend dancing in your head. There may or may not be anything to those superstitions, but Suggs will take what he can get, and, she’s not too bad to look at either.