Manchester City are officially the blue moon of British football, now that they’ve finished alone atop the English Premier League table.

The Sky Blues secured their first Premiership crown and first title in the top flight of English football since 1968 with a 3-2 win over QPR. They ended their fixtures with as many points as Manchester United, but earned the silverware in spectacular fashion on goal differential.

All looked to be lost when a 10-man QPR side went up 2-1, but the Blues stormed back in stoppage time, culminating with an unbelievable winner from Sergio Aguero to give the club a long-awaited league crown.

City came into the 2011-12 season as a contender after bringing in Aguero, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy to bolster a squad that finished in third last spring. They spent the vast majority of the campaign in the top two, and regained control of their domestic destiny with a 1-0 win over arch rival Manchester United at the end of April.

It also marked the first time since the 2007-08 season that City swept the Manchester derby in EPL competition from United.

Roberto Mancini’s side fell behind Sir Alex Ferguson’s by as many as eight points in the standings in April after a 1-0 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

City did not drop a single point after that, while United went on to lose to Wigan and draw with Everton before losing to the “noisy neighbors.”

Man City’s run to the title was not without turmoil, though. An early-season spat between Mancini and Carlos Tevez led to the Argentine striker’s banishment from the club for four-and-a-half months. His absence opened up more opportunities for the mercurial Mario Balotelli, whose brilliance was often offset by fits of mischief, both on and off the pitch.

But, in the end, it was Tevez who wound up back in the starting XI, and City who will hoist Premiership hardware.

Source: Bleacher Report.

The estranged wife of former football star Deion Sanders was arrested on domestic violence-related charges Monday night, hours after Sanders sent a series of bizarre tweets saying she assaulted him.

In one of the messages posted on his verified Twitter account, Sanders even posted a picture of what he said were his children filling out complaints to give to police in Texas.

“Pray for me and my kids now! They just witnessed their mother and a friend jump me in my room,” the first tweet posted at 6:15 p.m. read. “She’s going to jail n I’m pressing charges!”

Two minutes later, Sanders tweeted again.

CONTINUED at CNN.

My Two Cents: What a bunch of pussies! What’s next, no contact at all? I thought this was a game for rugged men not prima-donnas and divas afraid of injury. To be fair, it’s not the players that want this, just the league and owners who want to protect their investments (athletes). Well geniuses, let’s see how much profit you turn when the game is played on a 100-yard mattress with flags dangling from the wastes of your slowed-down stars in their inflatable sumo costumes. Players know the risks when they put their jerseys on, they don’t have to play but they choose to regardless. I should write an article on this bullshit. Americana has been damn near emasculated by even entertaining this idea! End Two Cents.

It’s one of the most anticipated moments in sports. Cameras go off, towels swing around heads and teams’ chances to win are dead even.

If you haven’t caught on yet, I’m describing the opening kickoff of a football game.

Kickoffs, kickers and kick returners alike will always be a part of NFL football.

New York Giants co-owner John Mara begs to differ. He believes in a future where kickoffs will no longer be a part of the NFL.

“There’s no consensus on it right now,” Mara told Giants.com. “But I could see the day in the future where that play could be taken out of the game. You see it evolving toward that.”

No, Mr. Mara, I don’t.

It scares me that a member of the NFL Competition Committee has such a terrible view on one of the most exciting aspects of football.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his campaign to make the league safer at all costs is slowly turning the most physical sport into a game of two-hand touch. Last year, NFL owners voted to move kickoffs up from the 30-yard-line to the 35.

Five yards has changed so much.

CONTINUED at Isureveille.

Unusually quiet in recent weeks, the New York Jets shattered the calm Wednesday by completing a trade for polarizing quarterback Tim Tebow.

The Jets sent two picks — a fourth-rounder and sixth-rounder in 2012 — to the Denver Broncosin exchange for a seventh-round selection.

Tebow, a former first-round pick, went on the trading block Monday when the Broncos secured free agent Peyton Manning, who signed a five-year, $96 million contract.

Several teams expressed interest, including Tebow’s hometown Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Jets — perceived as a sleeper at the outset — pulled off the splashiest trade of the offseason.

Tebow — he has three years remaining on his contract, with a base salary in 2012 of $1.1 million — will join a cast of backups behind incumbent Mark Sanchez, but his presence could ignite a quarterback controversy. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie tweeted before the trade that “we don’t need Tebow,” expressing his confidence in Sanchez and the current roster.

Asked on Tuesday what he thought it would be like to play with Tebow, Sanchez told FoxSportsRadio in Los Angeles, “I think Peyton (Manning) will do great, I think Tim will do great no matter what happens. He’s either going to get a great chance to learn from one of the best quarterbacks to ever play, or he moves on somewhere else and he uses his skills at another ballclub. He definitely has talent. He knows how to win, he knows how to inspire players.”

The timing of the trade is curious.

CONTINUED at ESPN New York. Video at link.

As a wide receiver, Hines Ward was very good. As a blocker at the wide receiver position, Ward was the best and most dangerous in the history of the NFL. Figuring out how to balance those two things will be at the heart of the “Is Hines Ward a Hall of Famer?” debate five years from now. Let’s get a jump on it.

More with Ward than most, the numbers are insufficient to make a judgment. If we’re grading on statistics alone, Ward is probably a ticket buyer in Canton, not an enshrinee.

The contemporaries to whom Ward is most similar statistically (thanks to Pro Football Reference) are Derrick Mason, Keenan McCardell and Keyshawn Johnson. Fine players, but there’s probably not a Hall of Famer in that bunch. There are two others with similar stats who do own pale yellow blazers ‒ Charley Taylor and Lance Alworth ‒ but it’s fruitless to compare them to Ward, as the era was so different.

Which leaves a couple of other factors for Ward. What of the blocking? Is it a big enough factor to vault him into the Hall? What about the Super Bowl MVP? What about the fact that Ward was never among the best three or four receivers in the league?

I’m throwing out the Super Bowl MVP. I don’t care about that. The biggest play Ward made in that game was on a gimmick play on which he was uncovered. It was an ugly game and they had to give the MVP to someone. If we’re putting people in the Hall for winning the Super Bowl MVP, Dexter Jackson and Desmond Howard would like to have a word with someone.

The blocking is the thing. If you can be a top-10 receiver in the league and add so much to your team’s running game, that’s a difference maker. That’s what separates Hines Ward from other guys with big numbers who are on the outside looking in. It’s a perfectly legitimate argument. He added something to his team that other receivers just did not.

But even with his blocking exploits, at any time during Hines Ward’s career did you ever look at him and think, “That guy’s the best in the game”? Earlier in his career, Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens or Randy Moss would’ve been taken before Ward. Later, it was guys like Larry Fitzgerald or Andre Johnson. The Hall of Fame is for the elite, right? Was Ward ever that?

It’s going to be a really tough call when the time comes ‒ especially considering some of the receivers, like Cris Carter, who have been left out in the cold recently. Ultimately, though, I think Ward will get in ‒ not on the first ballot, but at some point. The guys who vote on this just adore things like “playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” and being “gritty” or “hard-nosed” or “old school.” Ridiculous little clichés or not, they are kind of true of Ward, and things like that tend to excite voters. He’ll be held up as an example of how the game was played before we put all the sissified new rules into it.

I believe he’ll be in eventually, and I’ll support the decision. If you’re on the fence, pay attention over the next five years and let me know if you see any other receiver out there as good as Ward who also blocked like Ward.

Source: Yahoo Sports.

Peyton Manning will become the next quarterback of the Denver Broncos, barring a snag during intensified contract negotiations that have commenced under the instruction of the four-time MVP to his agent Tom Condon, according to multiple sources.

Once the Manning deal becomes official, Denver will try to trade Tim Tebow, according to sources.

Manning instructed Condon to negotiate the finite details of a contract that would conclude with him joining the Broncos after a frenzied but focused process that began when the Indianapolis Coltsreleased him March 7.

Manning called Broncos vice president of football operations John Elway on Monday morning to tell him the news. Manning also called the San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans to inform them of his intent to now play for Denver.

Titans owner Bud Adams released a statement Monday saying: “Obviously I am disappointed, because I thought we would be a perfect fit.

CONTINUED at ESPN. Video at link.

A plane carrying Peyton Manning has arrived in the Denver area.

The legendary quarterback is meeting with executives with the Denver Broncos to discuss the potential of signing with the team.

CBS4 reporter Gary Miller says Manning has strong interest in the Broncos and the team could be among the top 5 teams Manning is considering.

“Manning will visit other places, he’ll visit Arizona and he’ll visit Miami,” said Miller. “But at this point, the Broncos believe that they may well be the favorites to land Peyton Manning. And indeed, the first visit he’s making is here to Denver.”

CONTINUED at CBS Denver.

Peyton Manning, the Colts’ quarterback with four MVPs, a Super Bowl win and a perfect throwing motion, will be released by the team, according to an ESPN report. It ends a 14-year marriage in which he started 208 consecutive games and was recognized as probably the best quarterback of his era. All of this meant little when his $28 million bonus came due, just as nostalgia and gaudy numbers haven’t meant much for a platoon of NFL stars before him. We don’t know how Manning’s story will end up. He could throw for 50 touchdowns in a Dolphins or Browns or Seahawks uniform next year, or he could decide to spend the rest of his life fishing and doing above-average commercials. But what we do know is that he’ll be judged against all the other elite quarterbacks who raced against age to stay great. Here’s a look at potential models for how Manning’s ending will play out:

CONTINUED at the Wall Street Journal.

*Written by Rob Rimes.

I’m finally back home and have enough time to actually sit down and write. The drive back from Orlando last night, immediately after the debate was insane! Drivers on Interstate 4 are beyond awful and they have no regard for the written and unwritten rules of the road. I nearly died a few times and by the time I got home, I just needed to chill out with some rum and watch ‘Firefly’ on Netflix. I intended to write this immediately after the debate but it just wasn’t possible. Between the lack of sleep the night before, the traveling and the two days of heavy discussions and debate, I was a vegetable. Thank God for my own bed and a bottle of Cruzan Black Strap rum as I feel much more alive this morning.

To start the day, I rolled out of bed at 7:30, which was pretty hard considering I was up late writing and drinking the night before and I just couldn’t get to sleep in a strange bed. I’ve always had trouble sleeping on the road. In fact, the only hotel that I’m comfortable in is the Hampton Inn across the street from the New Orleans Convention Center. Hell, I even have a hard time sleeping in Vegas without a ton of alcohol as a sedative, which is still partially ineffective, as that oxygen they pump through the vents has me wide awake pretty quickly.

So I woke up, got ready and suited up for my day, packed my suitcase and took a few minutes to watch part of the first half of the Liverpool v. Manchester United game before I had to check out. I went downstairs about twenty minutes into the game and ate breakfast with my friends from the Libertarian Party of Collier County. Shortly after this, we headed into the banquet room for the Libertarian Party of Florida’s business meeting. I’m not going to discuss the details but the meeting was informative and entertaining. Like one would expect, peering behind the scenes of politics at any level, the meeting had it’s fair share of heated debates between different factions all vying for control of the Party. Don’t take this the wrong way, this isn’t a bad thing, it is a very healthy way of addressing issues and concerns. All in all, it was a cool experience to see how the Libertarian Party operates in Florida.

At around 11:30, we split for lunch and I took that time to go upstairs and meet with Gary Johnson one last time before the debate. It was your typical meet and greet but there were more people present at this one than the two that I went to on the previous day. I listened in for awhile but I didn’t really interject myself this round. I asked a lot of questions the day before and I felt it was only fair for those who missed out on the earlier meet and greets to have their chance at asking Governor Johnson whatever it was they wanted to know.

I left after about a half hour, as the subjects being covered were already addressed at the previous meetings. Plus, my claustrophobia was kicking in as ten to fifteen people in a small hotel room is too many. I went downstairs, had some killer buffalo wings and spoke to congressional candidate Calen Fretts. If you live in the Florida panhandle, you should vote for Mr. Fretts. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and is a true representative of liberty. I think that may have been an endorsement. Anyway, we all headed back into the banquet hall at 1:00 for the second part of the business meeting. At 3:00 the debate officially started.

Contrary to what I wrote before, Roger Gary was not a part of the debate. Also, Leroy Saunders, a candidate from the State of New York joined the debate. I don’t know much about Mr. Saunders but his involvement added some energy to the event. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a Facebook page or anything else on the social networking level and that can only hurt his campaign, in my opinion. He does have a decent website however. The other candidates were mentioned in an earlier article, they are Gary Johnson, R.J. Harris, R. Lee Wrights, Bill Still and Carl Persons.

Before the debate, those of us who are members of the Libertarian Party of Florida were asked to write down any questions they had for the candidates. Two of my three questions were used in the debate and in fact, they were the first two questions used after the moderators were done asking theirs. The first question, which I asked in an effort to give a boost to Bill Still, went directly to Mr. Still first – how’s that for luck? The question was “What’s your plan to bring about economic recovery? Is it as simple as abolishing the Federal Reserve, returning to a gold standard and significantly cutting spending?” The reason I wanted this question to go to Still is that he takes the stance that a gold standard isn’t the answer. I wanted to give him the opportunity to explain his position, which he did by stating that the majority of the gold is held by the elite, so it isn’t a good way to give control of money back to the people and that throughout history, the gold standard hasn’t been as great as many economists claim.

The second question I asked that was used was “Is there ever a time when U.S. military intervention is necessary?” Most of the candidates said “no”. Gary Johnson however pointed to the Afghan War and said that he was for us going over there and wiping out Al-Qaeda but that we should have come back six months after going to war, as we sent the “evildoers” running for the hills. Leroy Saunders pretty much agreed with Johnson and added that if we are attacked, we have the right to go after the attacker and seek justice but other than that, we need to stay out of the business of all these other countries, except for trade – which should be free.

My third question “How would you curb the Supreme Court from making unconstitutional decisions?”, wasn’t asked. In fact, there was nothing asked about how they would work with the judicial branch, which was unfortunate. This is a subject I don’t hear libertarians discuss very often.

While watching the debate, I noticed that there weren’t a lot of philosophical differences between the candidates. They had different ways to achieve certain goals but for the most part, everything they said, I found to be correct and pretty on point. It’s hard to do a proper critique of the content, as these men know their stuff and were all pretty damn effective at expressing it and hammering their points. It’s really different when you have a debate where the candidates aren’t idiots and they don’t have to constantly explain their stance to an idiot crowd. Libertarians are cut from a different cloth and they typically educate themselves on a variety of topics. They are a group that is constantly in the know and on top of things. I’m not trying to toot my own libertarian horn here but those who truly represent our beliefs, don’t need to have everything explained to them. They are the self-educated minority and have reached a higher plane in their political philosophy that one can’t get to by blindly following mainstream ideas and not questioning what they’ve always been taught.

In the end, I felt that Gary Johnson did a solid job and articulated himself well. Bill Still did really good when the questions were economic based but needed to say more on some of the other subjects. R. Lee Wrights was great and really won me over. Even though I hope Johnson gets the nomination, I’d love Mr. Wrights as VP. R.J. Harris did alright but I was expecting a little more thunder, especially after hearing all the positive things my friends and colleagues have said about him. I wasn’t disappointed by my expectations of him but I wasn’t really impressed either. Leroy Saunders did a pretty good job but often times went on some tangents. He needs to get his talking points down and sharpen his skills. He’s a young guy though and he has a lot of time to get it right, just not in this race. Carl Persons had some sharp insight but he just didn’t bring the fire. I honestly can’t see him as a leader, which is unfortunate, as I did like the things he had to say. Truth be told though, I would take anyone of these guys over Barack Obama or the GOP contenders minus Ron Paul.

After the debate, I immediately left and drove home. I wish I could’ve mingled some more and gone to the Libertarian Party dinner but I really needed to get back. All in all it was a great weekend, I got to spend a lot of time picking Gary Johnson’s brain and I met a lot of like minded people from all over the country. It’s not everyday that an average joe can sit down with a presidential candidate and ask them questions face-to-face. I got to do it twice in one day.