Elway said on Friday that he has spoken with team owner Pat Bowlen and chief operating officer Joe Ellis about joining the front office, but that the discussions haven’t moved toward a deal.

"They've had plenty on their plate," Elway said. "We'll sit down at some point in time and have some meetings and see if everything aligns what they'd want out of me and what they'd expect out of me and what they're looking for. There's definitely going to be some conversations."

This season, Elway has served as a business consultant but expressed his desire to be the team's top football executive.

Just hours after Bowlen fired head coach Josh McDaniels, he dined with Elway at his Cherry Creek restaurant in Denver. Many speculations spawned up that Elway could be making his way back into the administration in Denver but Elway downplayed the meeting saying, "Obviously, it became a big deal, but it was really just a dinner."

"I thought they were going to wait until the end of the season," Elway said of McDaniels' firing. "I think the Spygate deal was the end of the road for them and they thought they had to make a move."

Despite Elway's hopes to help out the team on a higher level, Ellis, who runs the Broncos' headquarters on a day-to-day basis, isn't sure if Elway will end up joining the executive staff.

"I respect the fact that he's interested in helping the Broncos and he has a lot of qualities that perhaps [can] lend themselves to helping the Broncos," Ellis said. "But I don't know if that's going to advance at this point or not. I don't."

Roy Hodgson has kept Pacheco as a regular throughout the Europa League matches and will be featured in Wednesday night's final Group K encounter with Utrecht at Anfield. And now, Pacheco is inked with the Reds for quite some time following his recent contract signing.

"I'm delighted to have signed a new deal," Pacheco, who turns 20 next month, told Spanish journalist Guillem Balague. "I'm being sincere when I say that I see my future here, I'd like it to be so."

After talking with Damien Comolli, Liverpool's director of football strategy, he was told that he has the ability to lead the team.

"I had talks with Damien Comolli when signing a new contract and he told me that young players like myself and Martin Kelly are central to his vision for the club," Pacheco told Balague.

Pacheco is most concerned about playing time and hasn’t ruled out a loan, he says, which might work out best for the team.

"But in order to get some playing time, and if it suits the club, the best thing would be for me to go out on loan," he said.

"However, we will have to see how things stand in January and if the club are in agreement, then a loan move might be best for everyone."

Following Steven Gerrard's hamstring injury, Meireles took center stage for the Reds and  eased the spotlight away from Fernando Torres, who came in second in the poll with 27 percent, and Lucas Leiva, who came in third with 15 percent.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson agrees with the fans, explaining that Meireles deserves the spotlight for his recent play.

"It's absolutely a good decision. He's played extremely well, hasn't he?" Hodgson explained to Liverpoolfc.tv. "In the last month or so he's come to terms with what English football is, compared to what is a different style of football in Portugal.

"He and Lucas have done extremely well together. I'd be more than happy to keep him in the centre of midfield. I might have a difficult decision to make when Steven gets fit as to where to play him."

Meireles was thankful for the award and credited his team with a strong month of performances.

"I'm very proud to win this award. I would like to say thanks to all the fans who voted for me, but the team is the most important thing for me and I think we had a good month."

According to MLB.com, they added a seventh year to their six-year, $140 million proposal. Some might speculate that the Yankees only did this because the Red Sox offered Lee a seven-year contract.

Although there is a very slim chance that Lee would choose the lower-priced offer from the Red Sox, Theo Epstein and the Sox were smart in offering him the contract. By offering him seven years, this forced New York general manager Brian Cashman to offer Lee the same, despite not wanting to go that far.

"I know what we're willing to do," Cashman told MLB.com. "The player and his agent know what we're willing to do. We know, they know. That's all that matters. They have the information necessary to put themselves in the position to make a good decision."

Cashman proposed an offer to Lee's agent, Darek Braunecker, on Wednesday as the agent left the winter meetings. Braunecker was expected to relay the deal to Lee in Arkansas.

A day after Cashman's offer, the Rangers re-affirmed their commitment to signing Lee by offering a platter of different contract options for the left-hander. The number of different offers from the Rangers showed their desperate attempt to keep Lee in Texas next season.

Their new bid for Lee followed the  Red Sox' addition of Carl Crawford for seven-years and $142 million. Cashman entertained Crawford over dinner on Tuesday, but Lee is their top choice.

"We never made an offer," Cashman said of Crawford. "I've reached out to everybody and anybody, but it's not a need for us. We have [Brett] Gardner, we have [Curtis] Granderson, we have [Nick] Swisher. I have a certain amount of money I can spend. I'm going to be aggressive on areas of need, not areas that aren't of need."

Did the Red Sox' addition of Crawford impact the Yankees' thinking on Lee? Not if you ask Brian Cashman. But the Red Sox did come out with the upper hand by running up the price for the left-hander, forcing the Yankees into adding an additional year.

"Our desire is the same today as it was," Cashman told MLB.com. "I don't think you can increase it any more. We have a significant interest in Cliff Lee, and we've communicated that. They know it and they're in a position to make some decisions as they collect the information on their end."

Cliff Lee has put the Yankees in an unfamiliar position. Usually, they are the team that makes others sweat. This winter, they are the ones who are nervous.

If Lee chooses the Rangers, they could have some big question marks.

Which team will Cliff Lee choose?online surveys

That date, for Artest, marks the announcement of how much of his 2011-12 salary he will donate to charities that benefit mental health awareness. Artest is set to make $6.79 million next season.

"Either all or some," Artest told reporters about his donation plans before the Lakers took on the Clippers on Wednesday. "You'll know July 1."

Artest's lastest endeavor comes right on the coattails of his most recent charitable act – raffling off his 2010 NBA Championship ring on his website. While some of this teammates think he's crazy, the effort has already raised $464,525 for charity. The winner of Artest's ring will be announced on Christmas Day when the Lakers host the Miami Heat.

Artest said that his wife and family are fully supportive of the idea of donating next season's salary.

"We lost $7 million before," Artest said, speaking of the money lost when he went into the stands and fought Pistons fans in Detroit, which caused him to be suspended for 73 regular-season games and 13 playoff games. "At least [this time] it’s going to something good."

Despite the recent spotlight for his mental health awareness mission, Artest’s involvement stems back to his days with the Sacramento Kings. While playing in Sacramento, Artest organized free group counseling sessions for children and posted the videos on YouTube for other individuals to benefit from.

"Anybody going through problems, they could identify their problems with any individual kid and be like, 'Wow, I'm going through what he's going through,'" Artest said. "When you're weak mentally, there's nothing a kid can do when he's not strong yet or she's not strong yet."

Jackson was drafted by the Falcons in the third round (68th overall) out of Louisiana State in 2008.

The defensive back played a total of 31 games for Atlanta and was released on Sept. 4. During his time with the Falcons, he started three games, recording 51 tackles, one sack and one interception, which he returned 95 yards for a touchdown against the Saints last season.

Jackson signed with the Jaguars on Oct. 18 and played two games before being released on Nov. 17.

Maybe James was in a sympathizing mood after watching his beloved Cowboys win their third game under the team's new head coach Jason Garrett. Or, it might have been just because he feels, as many football lovers do, that Manning has something special that many players do not have.

"Watching SC and Trent Dilfer is talking bad on how Peyton Manning is playing as of late!" James tweeted. "In his wildest dream could never ever do the things Peyton does on the field."

"Peyton does on the field. Good or bad! People get on TV and think they can say whatever they want! And it’s always former players! Crazy!" James continued.

James is correct that Dilfer is nowhere near the quarterback that Manning is, despite getting a Super Bowl ring in 2001. That may have more to do with the Ravens putting together one of the all-time best defenses in NFL history, though.

Dilfer played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers from 1994-2007. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1997.

Although one cannot blame Manning for giving it all that he had, there is no excuse for a veteran quarterback throwing four interceptions in a game, a showing that ran his season total to 15. He alone kept the Colts in the game for awhile, but he was ultimately the goat as two of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns and they lost in overtime 38-35.

Manning and the coaches were looking to receiver Reggie Wayne every chance that they had, scoring the team two touchdowns. Wayne had 14 catches, and was on the receiving end of 200 of Manning's 365 passing yards. Wayne's status alone could make or break the game on Thursday. He's questionable with a knee injury, but the Titans can expect him to play as he fully participated in practice this week. 

Thursday night will be an interesting game due to the fact that the Colts offense is struggling with injuries as the Titans defense struggle with injuries. However, it looks as if the Colts have much more to worry about.

The Colts have virtually no running game right now with Joseph Addai (neck) still out. Behind him is Javarris James who ran for a whopping total of 18 yards against the Cowboys on Sunday. Backup running backs Mike Hart (ankle) and Donald Brown (ankle) are both hurting. Hart has been ruled out and Brown remains questionable for Thursday night's game. Both had a few carries on Sunday but combined for a total of 12 yards. Therefore, rushing yardage will rest on James' shoulders.

The Colts passing game isn't 100 percent, either as Wayne, and tight ends Jacob Tamme (knee) and Brody Eldridge (rib), are all questionable. Receiver Austin Collie has been ruled out for Thursday's game and has missed every game, but one, since his Week 9 concussion he suffered against the Eagles. He would be of much needed help Thursday.

Last week, the Titans had 12 players on their injured report and this week there are only six. That is a big sigh of relief for the team alone, even if all six players are from the defense. Some might see that as an advantage for the Colts' offense, but, do not look past the fact that all the players on the Titans' injured list are questionable for Thursday. Defensive end Jacob Ford (knee) and defensive tackle Jason Jones (shoulder) are both probable to play since they both fully participated in practice on Wednesday. Defensive tackles Sen'Derrick Marks (ankle) and Tony Brown (knee), along with defensive end Dave Ball (hip) and cornerback Ryan Mouton (hamstring), are all questionable as none of them participated in practice on Wednesday.  

Another thing adding to this matchup is that both teams are on losing streaks. The Colts need to snap their three-game losing streak as playoff implications are looming, while the Titans are likely getting desperate to break their five-game losing streak.

All in all, the Colts will need a miracle to take this game away from the Titans who will be craving a win after five embarrassing weeks.

Pang painted a picture of Subban, a 21-year-old Toronto native, as a young player who is "full of life" and explained that "the more gregarious he got, the more full of life he got, the more everybody wants to settle him down."

According to Pang, Subban should look to St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and "maybe try to duplicate [him]."

Pang continued, saying Pietrangelo "does everything, on the ice, off the ice, the white way."

Immediately knowing that the jaws of thousands of viewers just hit the floor beneath them, Pang corrected himself saying "the right way."

Later, during the NHL on TSN broadcast, Pang explained that it was a terrible mistake and that his tongue got twisted.

"I feel terrible, I've got a knot in my stomach," he said. "It was an honest mistake, and I mixed up my words, obviously."

The Tampa Tribune reports that just after midnight, McCants was leaving Tina's House of Angels in a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe when he was pulled over for failing to stop and check for traffic.

According to St. Petersburg police spokesman Mike Puetz, McCants had a crack pipe sitting on the middle console as the police officer approached McCants' vehicle. As police searched the SUV, they found crack cocaine in the purse of his passenger Christina Campbell.

Both McCants and Campbell face charges of possession of cocaine. McCants' bail was set at $2,000.

The linebacker out of the University of Alabama was picked fourth overall by the Buccaneers in the 1990 NFL draft. After being plagued with knee problems, he was cut during training camp in 1993. He went on to play for the Houston Oilers and ended his career with the Arizona Cardinals in 1995.

Scott visited the winter meetings in Florida on Tuesday, but not for any reason in particular other than showing off his hunting prowess. Yahoo!'s Dave Brown met with the designated hitter to discuss the Orioles' offseason dealings. What Brown didn't expect was a full-on attack from Scott on President Obama.

After chatting about the Orioles, hunting, firearms and personal responsibility, Scott started bashing Obama by denying that he was born in America.

"Obama … hmm … Obama does not represent America. Nor does he represent anything what our forefathers stood for … He was not born here. That's my belief," Scott told Brown. "I was born here. If someone accuses me of not being born here, I can go – within 10 minutes — to my filing cabinet and I can pick up my real birth certificate and I can go, 'See? Look! Here it is.'"

According to Scott, Obama represents, "Hey, everyone. Give me votes and I'll give you free stuff." Scott believes that this is why America has been getting torn apart.

Ward and the Steelers have been nominated in the categories of professional sports team and professional athlete for the inaugural United Nations NGO Positive Peace Awards.

The Steelers' nomination has come from both the Salvation Army and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Steelers president Art Rooney II is thrilled to see his team being recognized for their contributions.

"We are honored to be nominated for such a prestigious award which recognizes the importance of helping those less fortunate than ourselves," Rooney said in a statement released by the club. "We have always believed that it takes teamwork to make a true impact in the community and are proud that our efforts are viewed as worthy of being considered for such high distinction."

Ward's nomination came from the Pearl S. Buck International Inc., which cited his hard work in Korea bringing international Koreans to change the perception of the country's biracial population.

"Hines Ward changed the cultural landscape of Korea," said Janet Mintzer, president and CEO of Pearl S. Buck International. "After Japanese invasions, Korea placed high value on being pure-blooded Koreans, creating prejudice of biracial people. As a successful biracial Korean-American, he returned to Korea, creating media attention which sparked a cultural shift."

The winners of the 2010 United Nations NGO Positive Peace Award will announced in mid-December.

Mike Eli of Kansas City’s Eli Young Band was not forgiven on Sunday when he botched the song, forgetting what came after “twilight’s last gleaming.” The fans immediately began booing as the singer hung his head in shame. After a brief mumble, Eli’s buddy, who was standing behind him, tried to whisper the lyrics into his ear, to no avail.

The second time proved to be a charm as he finished the anthem with a loud cheer from the Chiefs’ home crowd once he hit “home of the brave,” where fans in Kansas City like to say “home of the Chiefs.”

Despite the fact that McClain wasn't penalized, the league confirmed Monday that McClain will be fined for the helmet hit. According to The Associated Press, multiple NFL officials stated during the game that the hit should have been penalized.

The powerful hit forced Miller's head and neck to bend backwards. The trainers ran to his side after Ravens defensive tackle Cory Redding signaled for help.

Miller remained on the field for several minutes before being helped off to the sidelines by trainers. He had one catch for nine yards before the concussion.

Steelers linebacker James Harrison and the rest of the team's defense have been feeling targeted recently by officials and this fine will soothe their pain a bit. Harrison has received $125,000 in fines this year alone.

Ngata blasted through the Steelers offensive line, getting his arm between Roethlisberger's facemask before completing the tackle from behind. Roethlisberger's nose began bleeding profusely and the quarterback was quickly ushered off the field.

Everyone watching the game knew Big Ben's nose had to have been broken as the cameras followed his march over to the Steelers sideline, capturing the crooked lump where his nose used to be.

After the game Roethlisberger confirmed the broken nose, explaining that "a big arm got in and hit me and broke it."

The good news for Steelers fans and the bad news for the 2-10 Cincinnati Bengals, is that Roethlisberger's surgery will not stop him from starting in the matchup this Sunday.

After reviewing Ngata's hit on Roethlisberger, the NFL has fined the Pro Bowl defensive tackle $15,000. The hit did not draw a penalty flag at the time of the play.

That's because his number, 23, is already taken by outfielder Mike Cameron. But Cameron is in the process of switching back to his old number, 44, to give his former Padres teammate the number he deserves.

"We are in discussion," Cameron told MLB.com. "I think I'm going to get something nice for Christmas, I can bet you that. He hasn't called me back yet."

Gonzalez ought to get him a nice present — Cameron did not have to be so generous. However, the outfielder is thrilled to have Gonzalez back on his team and doesn’t mind switching back to his old number, which he donned for much of his career. In September, left-handed first baseman Lars Anderson was called up and given the number 44, but it is highly unlikely he would keep the number over a veteran of Cameron's status.

All number business aside, Cameron is more excited to see the production Gonzalez will add to the team.

"The guy is a really good ballplayer, a smart, smart hitter," Cameron said. "Really smart. He's got unbelievable pop."

The former Padre had two years of witnessing Gonzalez's bat from 2006 to 2007, and explains that the only adjustment that the lefty will have to overcome is the difference in pitchers from the National League to the American League.

"Adrian is a really good hitter, but when you come to this division, there's a little bit of a learning process, and pretty much he'll be facing all of the best lefties in the game in this division," said Cameron. "It's going to be important that we help him out as much as possible so he can go out and do his thing. He knows how to play the game of baseball."

Gonzalez, known for his ability to go to the opposite field, is going to come to love the Green Monster, which is only about 315 feet from home plate. PETCO Park, the Padres' stadium, features a left field line that travels 334 feet from home plate to the wall. Those 19 feet are crucial in regards to the lofty opposite field slices that Gonzalez will be hitting. That said, Cameron would like to see Gonzalez turn around and pull a few balls into right field, too.

"Let's hope so," Cameron said. "And let's hope he wears the Pesky Pole out. I wouldn't mind that either."

Although his bat is the dominant feature that most are reminded of when thinking of the powerful lefty, Gonzalez also has a prized glove, as he has won two Gold Gloves at first base with the Padres.

Padres manager Bud Black had nothing but comforting words for Red Sox fans about the abilities of his former first baseman.

"You look at the all-around game," Black said. "I've said it many times — great defender, makes plays on defense with his arm. Look at the other side, which is what everybody wants to talk about — the offense.

"He has a great, fluid swing. He has great hand-eye coordination. He's a disciplined hitter. [He has] all-field power [and] hits the ball from line to line. [He is] tough to pitch to, tough to defend. He can manipulate the bat. He's a very good baseball player."

An official with knowledge of the talks between Jeter, his agent Casey Close and the Yankees' administration said that the two sides made "significant" progress on the longtime captain's deal as the two parties met again this week, according to ESPN.com.

Earlier on Friday, the source announced the two sides "still had a long way to go" due to Jeter's reluctance to settle for a shorter-term contract or less money per year than was he was paid during his now-expired 10-year contract, which was $18.9 million per season.

"He can't seem to get to where this thing has to get to, meaning taking less money than he's making now, until he gets it into his head that it's not 10 years ago," the source said. "These people who are superstars, who live a different life and everyone's telling them they're the best, it's hard for them to psychologically get their arms around it. It's part of what makes him a great competitor. But until he comes to grips with that, they're not going to make a deal."

The source explained that it was "possible" that the Yankees and Jeter might come to a deal before the start of the winter meetings, which begin on Monday in Orlando, "but I'm not confident of that."

Another source told ESPN.com early Friday that although the Yankees were fluffing up Jeter's contract, they are still hesitant to add a fourth year to the deal. However, the possibility of a fourth year might rest upon Jeter's performance

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman didn't give any specifications Friday morning concerning the contract. However, it's clear both parties want to come to an agreement that concludes with Jeter staying in the Bronx.

"That's what both sides want," Cashman said. "We're both working hard to see if that can happen."

The TNT telecast of the Heat- Cavaliers game drew a 5.0 overnight TV rating, blasting last season’s matchup of the Celtics vs. Spurs, which received a 1.4 TV rating, by 257 percent.

LeBron's return also squashed the 4.1 overnight rating that the NFL Network's telecast of the Eagles and Texans by 22 percent.

In Cleveland, the TV rating for the game was unheard of as it pulled in an absurd 25.4 overnight rating compared to the 14.9 rating received in the Miami area.

As one would guess, the ratings, which peaked around 8:15-8:30p.m., declined dramatically as LeBron and the Heat took over the game. The TNT pregame show with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson had a rating of 5.9.

The Patriots tweeted on Thursday that counterfeit tickets have been circulating around the Hub.

One of the tickets read "New England Patriots Vs. New York Jets, Gellete Stadium."

Ticket prices for the game have been selling on the secondary market for as high as $3,000.

Shaquille O’Neal will be teaming up with Buca di Beppo once again this holiday season when he festively transforms from Shaq to 'Shaq-A-Claus' at the Dedham location.

Shaq-A-Claus will host a holiday party bigger than his 7-foot-1-inch, 325 pound stature on Dec. 7. The party will consist of 75 boys and girls from the Boys and Girls Club of Roxbury. In an event sure to be jam-packed with laughs, children will get the opportunity to challenge Shaq – a Boys and Girls Club alumnus – to the King of Pop’s dance moves by playing the just-released Ubisoft video game Michael Jackson: The Experience.

O’Neal will be wearing a custom-made replica of Jackson’s legendary glove, which he will autograph and auction off on CharityBuzz.com as one of the handful of celebrities partaking in the Experience the Glove campaign. The other autographed glove on the website is Whoopi Goldberg’s.

With the help of JAKKS Cares, a division of the leading U.S. toymaker, JAKKS Pacific, Inc., Shaq-A-Claus will be handing out toys to the 75 children present at the holiday party.

Buca di Beppo will also serve their special guests a holiday feast in their tradition of family-style celebratory dining.