FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Will Florida bring home a national title tonight in Miami?

Mark Humphrey/AP

All times Eastern.

• 8:00 p.m., MLB Network: Disillusioned by the Bowl Championship Series? This encore presentation of the 2008 Home Run Derby -- the zenith of Josh Hamilton's redemption tale -- should inspire you.

• 8:15 p.m., FOX: What better stage for the first-ever meeting between Florida and Oklahoma than a BCS title tilt? Don't miss our live blog of the game from SI.com's Jacob Luft, already up and running from Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

• 11:00 p.m., HBO Comedy: In a memorable episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry has a run-in with professional wrestler Thor while traveling to a meeting with Jason Alexander. (Bonus factoid: Thor was played by Malibu of American Gladiators fame!)

• 11:35 p.m., CBS: Legendary broadcaster Marv Albert swings by the Late Show with David Letterman.

Each afternoon, we'll pass along some of the most salvagable items from our cutting-room floor. Send along suggestions to fortherecordtips@gmail.com.

• Media Matters caught a basketball-related error on MSNBC today when Chuck Todd, chief White House correspondent for NBC News, falsely besmirched Georgetown's hoops program.

• One impressively devoted Detroit Lions fan got a tattoo commemorating the team's historic 0-16 campaign. The local FOX affiliate has the video. [MyFox Detroit]

• An 18-year-old Garden State woman was arrested at a high school basketball game for running onto the court and offering a one-finger salute to the hometown crowd. [NJ.com]

• "The photographer who shot embarrassing pictures of a half naked skier dangling from a Vail ski lift has been suspended by his company." [Obscure Store and Reading Room]

Eric Mangini's mistakes cost the Jets an easy playoff trip.

Bill Kostroun/AP

The Browns really couldn't do any better than Eric Mangini as their next head coach? Did Cleveland owner Randy Lerner watch NFL games over the last month?

The Jets had an easy path to the playoffs, but the team had a complete mental and emotional breakdown over the final five weeks of the season under Mangini. They dropped four games against mediocre competition (only one of the opponents ended the season over .500), and managed to beat Buffalo at home only because of a fluky late-game fumble.

Mangini made numerous tactical errors on the field and failed to inspire his team as the postseason slipped out of their reach. The 37-year-old coach tried to project a Bill Belichick-like stoicism when his team desperately needed passion in the locker room. Mangini's flat personality rubbed off on his players, who tried to play it cool but just came off as lifeless. When players ripped Brett Favre after the season, it was the first time the team showed a pulse in over a month.

From day one, Mangini was too interested in forming a positive relationship with Favre and failed to act as a coach when Favre needed it the most. How can a coach discipline a player after naming his newborn son after him? Favre was suffering from mental fatigue down the stretch and started making a lot of mistakes that had nothing to do with his tiring arm. That's when the coach has to crack down on his quarterback, no matter who it is. Look at how much success the Eagles had after Andy Reid benched Donovan McNabb for a half in Week 12. Mangini may not have been able to sit Favre, but he should have been able to do something to help his quarterback re-focus.

Players compete at Wii Sports tennis tourney in Brooklyn.

Diana Eliazov/SI

Earlier this week, Wii Sports surpassed the lifetime sales of Super Mario Bros. to become the bestselling video game of all-time, according to a game sales tracking site.

Wii Sports, which comes bundled with Nintendo's Wii console everywhere besides Korea and Japan, has sold 40.24 million units worldwide in just 110 weeks, according to VG Chartz. The five sports simulations in Wii Sports -- tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing -- are designed to showcase the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii Remote controller to novice players.

After "one-upping" Super Mario Bros. and ending the beloved '80s side-scroller's long reign atop the charts, one obvious question stands out: Is Wii Sports the greatest video game of all-time?

CNET's Don Reisinger responds with an emphatic "no", saying the game "will never compare to any fine franchise and to compare it as such is an insult to those titles."

I don't see how anyone can call it that. Regardless of sales, Wii Sports is nothing more than a proof of concept that aims at helping new Wii converts get the feel for the console's interaction mechanism.

More importantly, I don't think Wii Sports is really a "game" in the conventional sense. It lacks a story, offers no measurable ability to get from one point to another, and boasts the most basic functionality.

Sure, it's a video game, but I don't think it can be compared on the same level with games like Super Mario Bros. or any title in the Madden franchise.

Do you agree with Reisinger or do you think Wii Sports deserves a place in the debate? If it's not the best game of all-time, could it someday be considered the most influential?

Wii Sports is the Most Successful Videogame of All Time [VG Chartz]
'Wii Sports': Best-selling, but not best of all time [The Digital Home/CNET.com]

Sports in Stilettos thinks Tim Tebow should remain at UF.

AP

Each afternoon, we'll pore through the user blogs on FanNation and showcase three of most interesting entries from the past 24 hours.

• Sports in Stilettos of Sports in Stilettos thinks Tim Tebow should remain in Gainesville regardless of tonight's outcome:

"And what of Tim Tebow? He has a Heisman, too, and a national championship to go with it, but he hasn't gotten the same love from the NFL Scouts as his Oklahoma counterpart. I think he should stay. Not because he won't be a top quarterback prospect, but because I agree wholeheartedly with whichever talking head said "Tim Tebow epitomizes everything that is good about college football. He's the textbook definition of a true college football player, multiplied by 1,000. His love of the game, fierce competitive nature and team spirit are much better suited to the college game. He's one of the best players on one of the best teams in the nation, and he seems to be enjoying every minute of it. If he's not going to be a top draft pick because he doesn't fit the profile the NFL's looking for, why not stay and savor it a little longer?" [Will they stay or Will they go?]

• Rahim009 of The Sports Simpleton doesn't think the return of a heathy Brandon Jacobs is enough to cool down the red-hot Eagles at the Meadowlands on Sunday:

"Why does anyone think that Brandon Jacobs is going to do anything more for the Giants running game? The Eagles defense hasn't given up 100 yards to a rusher since November 9th, against the Giants.  Since that day, they have faced the Giants again and stuffed Earth, Wind, and Fire and have faced other good runners like Clinton Portis and Adrian Peterson.  I completely expect the Giants to, not necessarily struggle running the ball, but need to rely on the pass more than they'd like.  Fact of the matter is that while the Giants running game is all right, the Eagles run defense has been stellar.  I fully expect Earth, Wind, and Fire to turn into Dirt, Air, and Ash as Stewart Bradley and the linebackers smack ‘em right at the line." [Eagles Vs. Giants: Fightin' Words]