The Giants had just pulled off an incredible comeback down 3-1 in the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, only to have one day off before the Tigers came to town. They were ready, though, and they took Game 1 8-3 with the help of third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who smacked three home runs. 

The sights around the city and AT&T were mesmerizing before and during Game 1, and thankfully there weren't cats and dogs falling from the sky like there was in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the NLCS.

Click here to see some of the best pictures from Game 1 of the World Series >>

The NHL plans to withdraw its most recent proposal to the NHLPA after Thursday's deadline passes, thus ending any hope that a full season would be played, according to ESPN.

There's still a chance that hockey gets played this season, but if that doesn't happen, fans across the world are going to be devastated.

NESN's Twitter followers posted what they would miss most if the entire season was canceled using the hashtag #Emptynet. Below are the best follower responses to what they'll miss if all 82 games are cancelled.

[View the story "What would you miss most about the NHL if the entire season was locked out?" on Storify]

The 75-year-old is a diehard New York Giants fan, and now the world knows it. Martini is a very creative guy and built a 20-foot replica of Giants Stadium in his garage, which couldn't look more perfect, according to SportsGrid. From the detail on the seats to the ramps to the field, the entire stadium is remarkable.

Check out the video below to get an inside look from Martini on his version of Giants Stadium.

Aviles is going to the Blue Jays as compensation for Farrell, according to the team, and he took some time Sunday to thank everyone for his time in Boston. 

Wanna thank #RedSoxNation for all the support, great city, team and fans! Loved my time there but now it's time for a new chapter! #gojays

— Mike Aviles(@Themikeaviles) October 21, 2012

Aviles played just a year and a half with the Red Sox but was the starting shortstop for the majority of the 2012 season. In 613 career at-bats in Boston, Aviles hit .261 with 15 home runs and 68 RBIs in 174 games.

John Farrell

Farrell, who was hired by Boston after managing American League East rival Toronto for two seasons, will have a lot on his plate during his first year running the team. The most important duty, though, will be trying to fix a team that put together one of the worst seasons in franchise history just a year ago. From the clubhouse to the pitching staff to the lineup, there's more than enough work that has to get done.

Bobby Valentine won only 69 games in his first and only season at the helm of the Red Sox. Farrell's most obvious goal should be to win at least 70 games, which — although it wouldn't be too impressive — would be progress.

Farrell didn't have much success with the Blue Jays over the past two years, averaging 77 wins per season and missing the postseason each time. The Red Sox have a lot more star power and potential than the Blue Jays, though. Their problem has just been putting that to good use. Whether it be hanging onto a late lead, coming through with a big hit or just making the right play, Boston had trouble figuring it all out during last season's 93 losses.

The Red Sox are more than capable of winning 90-plus games in Farrell's first year, but they were also capable of that in 2012. Since 2000, the Red Sox have won less than 90 games five times. Winning 90 games would pretty much guarantee a playoff spot — unless you're this year's Rays — and that should be the main goal of the 2013 Red Sox.

As Red Sox Nation has seen during the last three seasons, playing in the postseason isn't a lock every year anymore, but Farrell could be the guy that brings the Sox back.

Whether Farrell can get them there or not, wins are essential. So how many will Farrell and the Red Sox get in 2013?

How many games will John Farrell win in first year as Red Sox manager?

Pittsburgh ranks 17th in the NFL in points per game with 23.2 and 31st in rushing, two categories which need to vastly improve if the 2-3 Steelers are planning on contending for a Super Bowl. 

"[Todd] Haley's offense is not a big-play offense," Roethlisberger told Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It's kind of a dink-and dunk offense. Sometimes, we'll call something long, and it's just not there. For us, the big thing is that when we get into the red zone, we don't get complicated. We need to finish our drives."

The Roethlisberger-led offense has a 50 percent red zone percentage, and it may be the play-calling that's been the problem.

"There's a guy calling the plays," Roethlisberger said. "That's on him."

Pittsburgh takes on the 3-3 Bengals on Sunday in Cincinnati. 

With Boston hiring former Toronto manager John Farrell to run the club in 2013
and beyond, Aviles will reportedly serve
as compensation and go to the Blue Jays, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.

But the Red Sox shouldn't be in too much of a bind without 2012's starting shortstop. Aviles, who
started 130 games for the Red Sox in 2012 — all but seven at shortstop — did
what was required of him on a daily basis, but he never performed beyond that.

Aviles hit .250/.282/.381 with 13 home runs and 60 RBIs for
Boston last season, playing solid defensively as well. He provided much-needed
offense when several key hitters in the lineup went down with injuries and
managed to stay healthy for nearly the entire season. His overall production,
however, started to drop as the season dragged on, and he was often sat in favor of
Jose Iglesias down the stretch.

Now, with Iglesias and Pedro
Ciriaco under team control for the near future, the Red Sox will be more
than fine without Aviles going forward.

Iglesias is the shortstop of the future — and has been for
the last several years now — and it seems as if the future starts in 2013. His
failures at the plate have kept him from being the everyday
shortstop in the Boston lineup in the past, but his defensive prowess has kept him the
long-term favorite.

Going 8-for-68 isn't pretty, no matter how you look at it,
but Iglesias will get better offensively — he has to. He'll have a full offseason
to train on his own and should come into spring training looking to clean
up his remaining holes. Farrell has yet to name who his hitting coach
will be, but working with Iglesias will definitely be a priority.

Even if Iglesias still can't figure out what he's doing with
the bat, the Red Sox have Ciriaco to pick up the slack. Ciriaco flourished in
more ways than one last season, his first in Boston. He hit .293/.315/.390
with 19 extra-base hits, 33 runs and 16 stolen bases in 76 games, and he seemed to
perform best against the rival Yankees — hitting .415 with 12 runs in 14 games
against them.

Ciriaco is the ultimate utility player and will compete with
Iglesias for the starting shortstop job. Although he isn't as slick of a
shortstop as Iglesias, he holds a strong advantage over him at the plate. He
provides excitement in the Red Sox lineup, which is exactly what the team needs.

One thing to keep an eye on, however, is who the Red Sox
will receive from Toronto in the Farrell deal. That player has not been
announced yet, but it would make sense for the Blue Jays to part ways with
shortstop Yunel Escobar now that
they have Aviles and Adeiny Hechavarria.
Escobar underperformed in 2012 and also had a controversial
non-playing incident as well. Throwing him into the mix, though, wouldn't
hurt.

Boston really just needs to survive until 2014 or 2015, when the team can promote shortstop prospect Xander Bogaerts to the big leagues. Bogaerts is flying through the Red Sox' minor league system and could be in Boston in no time. It's still early, but he could be the guy who has Red Sox Nation forgetting about some guy named Nomar Garciaparra — nonetheless Aviles.

Aviles could be playing shortstop at Fenway Park on May 10,
but he won't be wearing a Red Sox uniform if he does. And that’s just fine.

Click here to read an opinion on the John Farrell hiring>>

Red Sox sluggers Dustin Pedroia and Cody Ross decided to take a trip to California for some fun at Disneyland recently and were joined by friends Jonathan Papelbon and Andre Ethier.

Pedroia and Ethier are long-time friends — playing together at Arizona State University during their college days — and Papelbon is Boston's former closer who signed with the Phillies last offseason. Ross, although never playing with either of the National League All-Stars, couldn't miss a trip quite like this one.

Check out the four major leaguers, along with Pap's son, Gunner, in the picture below.

Tim Tebow

The Jets quarterback has yet to find the end zone this season, but he has officially trademarked "Tebowing," according to ESPN. 

"I know it was something that was cool for me in the past, but it's not something I do as 'Tebowing,' " Tebow said. "It's something I do that's prayer for me, and then it got hyped up as Tebowing. So I think [it's] just to control how it's used as well. Make sure it's used in the right way."

The question now is when Tebow will "Tebow" for the first time with it under his full control.

In 1996, the NFL didn't have rules against paying players for big hits according to a report by Deadspin on
court filings from the NFL Players Association.

Former defensive lineman Reggie White used to pay his teammates for sacks and other big hits, and the NFL said that White wasn't doing anything wrong, according to a 1996 Associated Press article.

ESPN even ran a pregrame bit on players getting paid for this kind of play, which can be seen below.

Nowadays, players are getting suspended for getting paid for these types of plays, and commissioner Roger Goodell is having a hard time handling the situation.

The NFLPA appears to have some added ammunition in its battle over how the NFL has worked through the Saints bounty investigation, with the appeals of player suspensions still coming.

Stephen Swart, a cyclist from New Zealand, says he was paid $50,000 for not "attacking" Armstrong during his pursuit of the Triple Crown in 1993, according to ABC News. Swart made this information known under oath in 2006 when he was in court for an Armstrong-related case. 

Armstrong has already reportedly tested positive for performance-enhacing drugs. He was then forced to step down from the Livestrong Foundation, and Nike cut ties with him in the past few days.

Check out the video below to hear what Swart said in court. 

Kennedy issued a statement Friday saying that his role in the investigation of the New Orleans Saints' bounty program has been misconstrued. 

"The commissioner of the NFL recently distributed a memo to all 32 NFL teams regarding the alleged bounty program that contained blatant lies about me, thereby adding me to the list of men [whose] reputations and character have been irreparably damaged by the shoddy, careless, shameful so-called investigation behind this sham proceeding," Kennedy said in the statement. "Roger Goodell identifies me as the 'whistleblower' who approached former Viking coach Brad Childress about an alleged bounty on Brett Favre in the NFC Championship Game. That is a lie."

Kennedy said he was never interviewed by the NFL except for a pair of 30-second conversations with NFL security.

"I am not one of the players who has been officially disciplined by the NFL as a part of this sham, but I now know that I too have been damaged by the NFL's complete disregard for truth and integrity," Kennedy said in the statement.

Goodell continues to take criticism not only for how he has handled the
bounty investigation but also in the appeals process for suspended
players.

New England (3-3) is coming off a 24-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks while the Jets (3-3) beat Andrew Luck's Colts in Week 6 by a 26-point margin. The Patriots won both matchups against the Jets in 2011, but this isn't the same New York team as last year. Several players can score from any part of the field, while the defense has shown it's better than advertised at times. 

Mark Sanchez is still the starting quarterback for the Jets, whether that's the popular decision or not. He has not been very good in 2012, completing half of his attempted passes for 1,125 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions. He's fumbled three times already this year and should feel the wrath of the Patriots' defense come Sunday.

Running back Shonn Greene was having a miserable season before an enormous Week 6 performance against the Colts. Greene ran for 161 yards on 32 carries with three touchdowns. He did run for 94 yards in Week 1, but in the other four games that he's appeared in, he's averaged just over 30 yards per game. Greene has coughed up the ball twice already, and his longest run on the year is just 21 yards.

Tight end Dustin Keller has been absent from the Jets' offense for most of the season, missing four games due to injury. In the two games he has been in, he's been invisible. He's had two catches on the year on just two targets — accumulating 13 total yards. He's expected to be ready to go on Sunday, though.

Much like Keller, Stephen Hill is also yet to be a big contributor to the Jets' game plan. He's missed a handful of games, but he did have three receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown against the Colts last week. Hill had his breakout game against the Bills, when he caught five balls for 89 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-28 Jets victory.

Will Rex Ryan finally allow Tim Tebow to do his thing? Tebow has three pass attempts this season as Ryan has rarely let him throw the ball, using him more as a decoy instead on wildcat plays. Tebow has been running more than passing this year and could be used as the running back on several plays Sunday.

With Darrelle Revis out for the season, Antonio Cromartie is the top cornerback on the active roster, and he has the potential to ruin Tom Brady and the Patriots' day. Cromartie has three interceptions this season, picking off Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Schaub and Luck. He will most likely be covering Brandon Lloyd and/or Wes Welker on Sunday, which could limit their targets.

With so many game-changers set to play against the Patriots on Sunday, which Jet scares you the most?

Which Jet scares you the most in this Sunday's matchup against the Patriots?

Boston fired manager Bobby Valentine on Oct. 4, and this Friday, Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan said he had been hired by the Texas Rangers to be the hitting coach there, first reported by Rob Bradford of WEEI. The hiring was officially announced by the Rangers hours later. 

Magadan had been Boston's hitting coach since October 2006, and he helped the Red Sox win their second World Series title in four years. Boston led all of Major League Baseball in 2011 in hits, runs and OPS. This season, the Red Sox ranked eighth in the league in runs and 10th in batting averge. 

Magadan had also been talking with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians — where Terry Francona is now the manager — about open positions, as well as with Boston about returning next season.

The rapper talked about being the best and staying the best, with several clips of the best plays from the 2012 NFL season. He noted that all eyes are on you [the No. 1 team] and opponents are waiting for that one slip up where they can make you pay.

Check out the full spot in the video below.

Thumbnail courtesy of Facebook/Floyd Mayweather’s Money Team

Evans, a 2010 second-round pick by Utah and the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest champion, is trying to land a spot on the 12-man roster, and might have improved his chances with a hustle play against the Los Angeles Clippers' Ronny Turiaf. Midway through the second quarter, Evans blocked Turiaf's shot attempt, beat him down the court and then slammed a one-handed dunk right over him. 

The play was embarrassing to say the least for Turiaf, who wasn't beaten not once, but twice.

Check out the high-flying Evans in the video below.

“The so called 50-50 deal, plus honoring current contracts proposed by the NHL Players’ Association earlier today is being misrepresented,” Daly said in a statement. “It is not a 50-50 deal. It is, most likely a 56- to 57-percent deal in Year 1 and never gets to 50 percent during the proposed five-year term of the agreement. The proposal contemplates paying the players approximately $650 million outside of the players’ share. In effect, the union is proposing to change the accounting rules to be able to say ’50-50,’ when in reality it is not. The union told us that they had not yet ‘run the numbers.’ We did.”

The harsh words from Daly come just hours after commissioner Gary Bettman said he was “thoroughly disappointed” with the the NHLPA’s proposals to the owners.

Hope for a full, 82-game season is slowly going to down the drain if either side doesn’t act quickly. All games have been canceled through Oct. 24 and more cancellations are sure to come sooner rather than later.

Oakland shocked the Texas Rangers — and the baseball world — this season. At the beginning of July, the A's were still four games under .500 and 12 games back in the AL West. Then they caught fire and started to eat away at the Rangers' lead. By the time the final series of the regular season came — against the Rangers — Oakland was in striking distance, just two games behind.

The A's swept Texas, taking all three games to win the division for the first time since 2006. Yes, they were somewhat exposed in the playoffs against the Tigers, where they fell in five games, but this team showed heart like no other and always refused to go down without a fight.

Oakland may seem like the beneficiary of a lot of luck, a team that's primed to return to a statistical mean in the coming years, but that's a false statement. General manager Billy Beane traded away some of Oakland's top pieces at the end of last season but strengthened his franchise by doing so. He dealt Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill and Andrew Bailey all away in return for what looked like nothing at the time. As it turns out, that nothing turned into something, and something special at that.

Beane is finally where he needs to be: in a position to make the postseason on a yearly basis.

Only a handful of A's from this year's team will enter free agency — unless Beane gets to them before they hit the market. Brandon McCarthy is one upcoming free agent whom Beane may look to keep in his starting rotation to compliment those who led the team down the stretch while McCarthy was on the disabled list. Other candidates for new contracts include Stephen Drew and Grant Balfour, both of whom made huge contributions during the year. Other than those three, most of the roster should be back in 2013 — as nearly all are eligible for arbitration. 

Beane also has the ability to go into free agency as a buyer, especially since Oakland had one of the lowest payrolls in baseball this past season. Don't expect him to go after the likes of Josh Hamilton or Zack Greinke — he'll want players like McCarthy instead. Beane hasn't spent a lot of money on free agents in the past — with the exception of Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes — and it's not time to start.

Oakland's riches go beyond the big league roster. Some of the best prospects in the organization are about ready to make the jump to the majors. Minor leaguers such as Michael Choice, Dan Straily, Brad Peacock and Sonny Gray all could see time in Oakland next season. 

While the A's continue to have questions about whether their stadium can support the team financially, Beane won't have to do many tricks to keep his team in good shape. He has a cost-efficient ballclub and young players who know what it's like to win.

The A's should have no trouble making more postseason appearances going forward.

New England is very familiar with former New York Jet Leon Washington, who focuses on returning kicks and punts more than he does running the ball these days. Washington has rushed for the Seahawks just eight times through their first five games, but he does have the speed and agility to take a kick or punt to the house at any moment. He has seven returns for touchdowns in his career, all coming off kickoffs.

Golden Tate is third on Seattle in receptions and receiving yards but is known most for his role in the controversial play during the Seattle-Green Bay Monday Night Football game when the replacement referees were still employed. Tate has scored three touchdowns on the year and is targeted plenty by Russell Wilson if his top two options — Sidney Rice and Zach Miller — are covered. 

Danny Woodhead could see a good chunk of the carries Sunday along with Stevan Ridley as backups Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden were both listed as questionable on the team's practice report  Friday. Woodhead is third on the team in carries with 36. He has 119 yards and one touchdown. Tom Brady has found Woodhead five times so far in 2012 with 69 yards and a touchdown.

Julian Edelman didn't practice Wednesday, but he has had limited participation in practice over the last two days and is listed as questionable for Sunday. A hand injury has kept him out of the last two games, but he will look to make an impactful return. Edelman has 10 receptions for 85 yards with a touchdown in three games this year. 

Who will make the difference Sunday?

Who will be the X-factor in Sunday's Patriots-Seahawks game?

Boston split its international tour — losing by six points in Turkey and winning a 30-point blowout in Italy — but had to adjust to different players, rules and playing styles. Celtics rookie forward Jared Sullinger has yet to appear in a game with NBA players, but he said he knows Saturday's game will be a test.

"It's going to be a lot different," Sullinger said at the team's practice facility Friday. "Obviously in the Euro style, the four man's more of a shooter. Going against the Knicks, you got a couple bangers down low, so it's going to be a totally different game."

Some of those "bangers" that New York features include Amar'e Stoudemire and 2011-12 Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler. Both are top-tier defenders in the NBA, and Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said he is looking forward to getting a glimpse, even though the two may not be playing significant minutes.

"Teams don't play their guys a lot, but they do run their new actions, so we can learn a lot about what they're trying to do," Rivers said.

Rivers has been hesitant to play a couple of his star players this preseason, especially Kevin Garnett, who only saw 27 combined minutes of floor time in Boston's first two matchups. Garnett will play more once the regular season starts, but he did notice the caliber of talent on Fenerbahce Ulker and AC Emporio Armani Milano.

"Playing against the NBA talent, no disrepect toward international basketball, but NBA talent is top-of-the-line, grade-A, five-star," Garnett said.

Garnett and the rest of the Celtics will no doubt see some five-star talent Saturday when they take on the Knicks.