Pebble Beach Pro-Am Hoping For Tiger-Tebow Mania

What do you get when you combine Tebowing with a Tiger Woods fist pump?

A dream match-up with two of the most polarizing sports figures in recent history and all the mania anyone could ask for.

This is exactly the kind of hype the organizers of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am are hoping to create for their upcoming event.

Brian Hewitt of GlobalGolfPost reported that a highly placed source at the tournament said organizers want to pair Tiger Woods with Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow at the event which tees off the week after the Super Bowl.

According to the report, the tournament is considering offering an invitation to Tebow and— if he accepts— the organizers first choice as partner for him would be Woods.

Let the comparisons begin— yin and yang, saint and sinner or John and Paul (The Beatles, not the saints).

Woods recently confirmed that he will make his tour 2012 PGA tour debut in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.  It would be his first Pro-Am since 2002.

Early speculation had Woods pairing up with Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo.  See ya Tony.

The pairing sounds like a promoter's dream but there are a few obstacles to hurdle first.

Both Tebow and Woods would have to agree to the pairing and Tebow still would have to accept the invite.

Secondly, the Broncos are getting ready to face the New England Patriots in an AFC divisional playoff game on Saturday and— however far-fetched— the Super Bowl is still a possibility.

If the Tebow-led Broncos upset the Patriots, only a few things are certain.

It's a sure thing Tebow-mania will reach a fever pitch and the AT&T organizers will be sending the Mile High Messiah an invite on the hands of angels.

But then there's still that offer from Saturday Night Live.

There wouldn't be a scheduling conflict because the Pebble Beach event tees off the week after the Feb. 5 Super Bowl.

Let's get ready to Fist-Bow.

Romo Uses Left Hand During During Coin Toss Handshake

Tony Romo's right hand was still so swollen before Sunday night's do-or-die game against the New York Giants, he used his left one to shake his opponents hands during the coin toss.

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback's right throwing hand was "swollen from the fingertips to about three or four inches up his wrist," according to NBC Sports broadcaster Cris Collinsworth.

The puffy, purple and yellow hand and fingers looked like they could belong to Homer Simpson if Romo was missing a digit.

Romo injured the hand last week after he slammed it into a charging defensive lineman's helmet on the follow through of a pass.  He left the game after his hand swelled up.

When asked how the hand was doing before Sunday's game at MetLife Stadium, Romo replied, "Feels Great.  I feel like I'm gonna do something special."

The only people who shake left-handed are Boy Scouts.  Men have been greeting each other with their right hands since the days of Julius Caesar.  The right hand was considered the weapon holder and outstretching it showed your opponent that it was free of any menace.

Maybe Romo knows this and is hiding some kind of trick in his bloated right hand.

Coughlin Is "Optimistic Right Now" That Nicks and Manningham Will Play

The New York Giants passing game may have to Cruz alone this Sunday night if injuries to Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham keep two-thirds of their three-headed monster sidelined.

But not if Tom Coughlin's outlook is as rosy as his cheeks.

The head coach said he was "optimistic right now"  that both players could take the field in the do-or-die game against the Dallas Cowboys and join Eli Manning's latest favorite target Victor Cruz on the field.

Nicks—who re-injured his hamstring in the first quarter Saturday against the New York Jets—expects to be ready when the Giants meet the Cowboys for the NFC East title at MetLife Stadium.

The receiver sat out yesterday's practice but is feeling Coughlin's optimism.

"I don't see myself missing this game," said Nicks.

Giants fans shouldn't take that remark to heart— just yet.

"If I'm out there, I'd like to say I'd be myself, but you never know," he said.  "These things are tricky.  I'm gonna go ahead and claim I'll be myself out there.  I always got to think positive."

D'oh!  That's a big IF.

Manning will need all the help he can get in Sunday night's big game if Cruz is the only deep threat in his repertoire.

A wobbly Manningham returned to practice on Wednesday on a limited basis after resting his knee against the Jets.  He had been nagged by the swollen joint for weeks and spent most of his game time on the sidelines.

Nicks could be the key to unleashing Cruz once again if  Manning gets into a shootout with the Cowboys Tony Romo.

Cruz won't catch an opposing team by surprise any more.  After all, he leads the Giants with 76 receptions for a Giants season-high record 1,358 yards.  You can bet the Dallas D will be keying on the speedy wide-out.

As for Nicks (71 rec., 1116 yards, 6 TD's), who had only one catch for 20 yards while being blanketed by the Jets All-World DB Darrelle Revis, it sometimes comes down to a case of the dropsies.  He's dropped a couple of crucial passes over the past two games but said the weather was a factor.

"I can go a stretch where I won't drop a ball for five, six weeks," said Nicks.  "I don't normally have drop after drop after drop after drop.  It's normally... I go a whole season without drops, then I have a period where I might fit some in there, but that's me because I'm starting to lack concentration or something like that."

Concentration is one thing, injuries are another.

Asked about how far along the hamstring was Nicks said, " I notice it, I can't really dig like I want to right now."

He then put it in perspective.

"[I'm] close to 100 percent as I can get.  I don't think nobody's gonna be 100 percent playing football this time of year.  Something's gonna be hurting, but come game time, you know how to put all that stuff behind you."

How important are Nicks and Manningham in this game?

Nicks had eight catches for a season-high 163 yards and Manningham had a 47-yard TD in the Giants 37-34 win against Dallas on Dec. 11 at Cowboys Stadium.

"I ain't the type of guy that looks for no excuses," said Nicks.  "If I am out there, I've got to be ready to go."

Cowboys' Show-Boating Holley Cost Dallas Bettors $72 Million

San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner's shoe-string tackle of Dallas Cowboys receiver Jesse Holley cost Dallas more than a touchdown, it cost Cowboys bettors an estimated $72 million.

An estimated $100 million was bet worldwide on the Cowboys-49ers game, with an estimated 86% of that action on Dallas.

In overtime, Holley was caught from behind and tackled on the two-yard line by Whitner, leading to the  Cowboys winning field goal.  As he approached the goal line, Holley slowed down and raised the ball over his head then Whitner grabbed his ankles and brought the receiver down.

If a TD had been scored the Cowboys, as 3-point favorites, would have cashed for bettors.  The Cowboys opted for the immediate three-pointer and won, 27-24.

A touchdown would have covered the spread.  Instead, all bets were returned on a tie [called a 'push'].

So that means a so-called meaningless shoe-string tackle resulted in bettors winning $0 instead of an estimated return of $72 million.

Playing with a fractured rib, Dallas QB Tony Romo hit Holley on the 77-yard completion on the first play of overtime that set up Dan Bailey's winning 19-yard field goal, and Dallas rallied for the victory yesterday in San Francisco.

Bailey kicked a tying 48-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.

Whitner bit on the decoy play, that left the rarely used Holley wide open, before the 49ers safety raced down field after the hot-dogging receiver to bring him down at the two yard line.

Holley told ESPN he wasn't showboating, but that he had just finished playing special teams and "the Ferrari ran out of gas."

Cowboys fans are happy for the win but it could have 72 million times sweeter if Holley dove over the goal line.