Tom Brady or Michael Vick for MVP? It’s an easy call (for Brady)

Even a slight hiccup by Tom Brady might spark an interesting debate: Would MVP voters set aside their personal feelings and judge Michael Vick’s candidacy based solely on his on-field performance? . . .

Vick has made a strong, electrifying case, but Brady’s brilliance has made the question all but moot. . . .

He’s the probable winner. . . .

Concerns about a gimpy Andrew Bynum knee and a mangled Kobe Bryant finger seem to be constants in Lakerdom. . . .

Luckily for Lamar Odom, his value to the Lakers is not measured in All-Star appearances. . . .

The New York Giants won’t soon forget Sunday’s meltdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, which defensive tackle Barry Cofield called “about as bad a loss as you can suffer.” . . .

The NFL Network will replay the game Tuesday night from start to unforgettable, DeSean Jackson-highlight finish. . . .

Maya Moore and Tiffany Hayes have played in every game during Connecticut’s 88-game winning streak. . . .

No one played in every game during UCLA’s run. . . .

If freshmen had been eligible in the 1970-71 season, when Bill Walton was in his first year on campus, the Bruins’ winning streak might have stretched into triple figures. . . .

Exclaimed ESPN’s Bob Wischusen, rhetorically, at the start of Saturday’s New Mexico Bowl, which matched Brigham Young (6-6) against Texas El Paso (6-6), “Does it get any better than college football in the postseason?” . . .

Other than the NFL, NBA and major league baseball playoffs, the NCAA tournament and every other postseason that features an actual playoff to determine a champion, the answer is no. . . .

Also better than college football in the postseason, by a wide margin: college football in the regular season. . . .

Noting that Charles Barkley calls Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics “the engine that stirs the drink,” USA Today’s Michael Hiestand writes, “And . . . the straw that shifts the gears.” . . .

Peyton Manning, starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts in 206 consecutive games, would have to continue his streak into the 2016 season to match Brett Favre’s record. . . .

By then, presumably, Favre will be retired. . . .

For the first time in nine games, Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets did not have a pass intercepted Sunday. . . .

“Jeopardy” answer: About 80% of the world’s soccer balls are made in this country. . . .

“Jeopardy” question: What is Pakistan? . . .

Mike Krzyzewski, who pulled even with Dean Smith on college basketball’s all-time victories list Monday night, was 14-24 against Smith-coached North Carolina teams. . . .

Before Dallas ended Miami’s winning streak at 12 games Monday night, Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle said of the Heat, “It was only a matter of time before they figured things out.” . . .

Jalen Rose’s contention that he could still play in the NBA and might attempt a comeback reminds that Wilt Chamberlain often said the same thing but never actually did it. . . .

It’s easier said than done. . . .

Forty years ago this week, All-American tailback Leon Burns led Long Beach State in its only bowl appearance, a 24-24 tie against Louisville in the Pasadena Bowl at the Rose Bowl. . . .

Burns, a first-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 1971 NFL draft, was fatally shot in December 1984. . . .

In an HCD Research survey of more than 1,300 Americans, 81% said Tiger Woods’ alleged extramarital affairs received too much media coverage and 2% said they received too little. . . .

Gael Garcia Bernal, a Mexican actor reportedly set to play Roberto Duran in a movie about the Panamanian former champion, is 5 feet 6, only about an inch shorter than Duran. . . .

Donations honoring the memory of Don Meredith can be made to the Don Meredith Scholarship Fund or the Meredith Exhibit at the Firehouse Museum, c/o F.J. Cooper, First National Bank of Mount Vernon, P.O. Box 909, Mount Vernon, Texas, 75457. . . .

Joel Meyers saluted Jim Healy during Sunday’s Lakers telecast when he said of a questionable foul call against Pau Gasol, “I’ve seen more pushing in the men’s room.” . . .

Noting that urinals from the Philadelphia Spectrum are selling for $200 each, Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald writes, “I think I just found the worst Christmas gift of the year.”

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