So, we’re down to the last race, Sunday at Homestead. It’s been an a hell of a year—just amazing. Of course for our team, the Chase has been a bummer. It seems like the stuff that could go wrong went wrong for us in the most important stretch, these last nine races. But for us, as a young team, even making the Chase is just huge. It’s a big leap forward. And next year we’ll get even better. We’re already thinking of next year: our 2010 team photos are Tuesday. No rest.   

But first: the Sprint Cup championship in two days. Jimmie Johnson going for it all.

If Jimmie can come through, like we think he will—finish in the top 25 or whatever, and win his fourth championship in a row, it’ll be just unbelievable. I don’t think he’s gotten enough credit in the sports world.

I don’t wanna take anything away from the racing greats, like Richard Petty, but when he went and won 200 races, there were maybe 1, 2,  maybe 3 cars finishing on the lead lap. In the Chase era, we’re seeing 20-30 cars finish on the lead lap. We’re seeing 10 or 20 cars separated by tenths of seconds. And Jimmie Johnson, to be on top through all these races. For four years. To be that consistent—it’s unbelievable. It’s a great story. I know I’m proud of him.

To put it simply, I think this is probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest, races of our time. See you Sunday.

Watch Vickers and Johnson race for the Sprint Cup this Sunday 11/22 at 2:30pm on ABC.

Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR

Pro football’s first Thanksgiving game featured the WWI veteran (and one of football’s first 
African-Americans) leading his team to victory over the Canton Bulldogs before going on to an undefeated season and the first league title. Which we believe was called the Kaiser Kup.

Don led the ‘boys to a 26-14 comeback victory over the Browns in his breakthrough season. He achieved greater fame postretirement as one of the original commentators on Monday Night Football and for giving Howard Cosell wet willies during timeouts.

America was shocked to see the ankle-breaking 5‘8” rookie rack up 145 yards in a win against the Browns. Sanders would run for over 100 yards three more times on Thanksgiving before quitting the Lions, a.k.a. the losingest losers that ever lost, in 1998

After the Eagles crushed the Cowboys 27-0, John Madden saluted Philly defensive end Reggie White with a turkey leg. A tradition was born that  blossomed into customized birds with extra legs for more awards—a perfect merger of pigskin and gluttony.

Smith’s rookie performance would have been badass regardless (132 yards and two second-half touchdowns), but the fact that it came against the hated Redskins made it one for the ages. Smith would go on to spend old age rambling on postgame shows, “Scram the framper!

Randy notoriously slipped to the 21st draft pick. Then, against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, he only had three catches. But each went for a TD. He remains one of the most explosive players in 
NFL history, racking up a record 23 TD receptions in 2007 and one savage mooning in 2005

Romo wasn’t pegged for stardom, going undrafted in 2003 and not  starting a game until 2006. But after throwing for 306 yards and five touchdowns on turkey day in a 38-10 win over the Bucs proved he could play, he went on to his first Pro Bowl and the first in a series of blonde brain trusts, Jessica Simpson.

The rookie running back exploded onto the field with 57 yards of rushing in only two quarters in 2008’s turkey bowl. “I was just a special-teamer,” says Choice, “but when Marion Barber went down, I knew I had to come up big.” A jokester in the locker room (he has his own Web site dedicated to pranking his teammates, tchoice23.com), Choice is now key in Dallas’ three-man rushing attack.

Check out Tashard's Game Break video.

The Fins linebacker and tight-end battle it out for Madden Bragging rights (with a cheerleading assist) and reminisce on Super Bowls gone by. Awww.

The crafty running back takes a Maxim editor to the Madden woodshed with judicious use of the wildcat and better use of “not sucking”.

One of my best friends is Tommy Kendall, a big time race car driver on the Trans-Am series in the 1990s. It’s funny, we didn’t meet at a track or a race, or anything like that. We met partying in Vegas. Over the years we’ve been known to make a bet or two.

Earlier this year, we were bowling with friends at an alley across from the Staples Center in LA. The bet was that the loser of the match would have to wear a mullet to a race.  

I won. Which is good, because I didn’t want to race on national TV with a mullet under my helmet. Luckily Tommy took this bet really seriously and to make it even more ridiculous, he drove all the way from Santa Monica to the race in Talladega, Ala., in his chicken car (he calls it “El Gallo”). At the race he donned a real mullet, like, glued to his skull. It was really legit. We drove around the infield in El Gallo and I pulled some strings and even got NASCAR to let us take some laps on the track before the race. I took the wheel. El Gallo is a 73 Oldsmobile. It drives like a tank on a cloud.

Regardless, as you can see, we had some fun. But back to work. Only two races left: this weekend in Phoenix and next weekend the championship in Homestead-Miami. 

Watch Vickers and the rest of the Chase contenders Sunday at 2:30pm EST on ABC.

We took a break from doing all the stuff we got to do on the Bud Light Port Paradise cruise to talk shop with UFC fighter Rashad Evans. And most of the shop we talked about was how to make a man unconscious. (He also discussed "checking someone's oil," and he's not talking auto mechanics. Which was cool.) Although he is a brutal killing machine in the ring, we found that he is a gentleman and a funny guy you'd like to have beers with.  Enjoy watching us share some laughs and some knees to the breadbasket. Plus, there are still more Bud Light Port Paradise shenanigans to come.

Athletes love endorsement deals. And when they're not whoring themselves out for a questionable product, they love licensing their name and image to bring in even more green. But it's a dangerous merchandising minefield to master, and when it comes to these 10 cash-grabs, the pros should've kept their head in the game.

10. Michael Jordan's cologne

Mike's cologne debuted in 1996 and, shockingly, is still on the market today. Celebrity fragrances were certainly nothing new in the mid-'90s, but with Jordan's licensing empire already encompassing shoes, Wheaties boxes, inspirational books and appearances in Michael Jackson videos, his "eau de Air" elicited more than a few chuckles. "Be like Mike"? No thanks. Leading scorer or not, who wants to smell like a 6'6" sweaty dude in Hanes?

9. Lawrence Taylor sells himself to the WWF

Okay, we admit this one's a bit of a cheat, since LT wasn't hawking a crappy toy or exercise machine with his name attached. But talk about selling yourself ... No. 56 picked up a nice payday for his "feud" and one-off match with mid-carder Bam Bam Bigelow at 1995's Wrestlemania XI. It generated a ton of press coverage, so much so that their bout became the main event, even though there was no title at stake. Taylor actually pulled off some surprising maneuvers for a non-grappler, but the entire ordeal was more damaging to his rep than all those drug arrests.

8. David Robinson's Doritos raft

How psyched was the Admiral to win an Olympic gold medal as part of the USA's first Dream Team in 1992? That medal undoubtedly lost some luster once Robinson was reduced to Chester Cheetah status by signing off on this Dorito's pool float. We know the guy served in the Navy, but he surely doesn't like water that much.

7. Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men

As one of the original members of the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome," Roosevelt Grier was given a free pass for the rest of his life to pursue any "non-macho" pastimes. But seriously, macrame and needlepoint? This from the 6'5", 300-pounder who disarmed Robert Kennedy's assassin and starred in The Man With Two Heads? We'll just take Rosey's words of wisdom from the dustjacket to heart: "Smile all you want, but if you try it once, you'll keep coming back for more, and that's the truth, brother."

6. Pro Stars cartoon

On paper, it sounded like a can't-miss concept: Animated versions of Wayne Gretzky, Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan team up to fight crime, protect children and even keep the environment safe and sound. And there would even be live-action sequences before each episode where the actual superstars hang out and talked turkey! But what viewers got was half a season of shoddy animation, crappy voice actors subbing for the pros, and pre-taped bits where they were obviously shot on different sets (if Jordan even bothered to show).

Click on the Page 2 link for a frightening shirtless dude. It's funny!

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