Schumaker’s new baseball card features the rally squirrel

Well, that's not completely true. The bottom of Skip Schumaker's pants leg is actually quite visible in the 2012 Topps Series 1 baseball card set that's launching on Wednesday. But most of the cardboard real estate belongs to the rally squirrel that dashed across Schumaker's path as Roy Oswalt delivered a pitch during the fifth inning of Game 4 of the NLDS last October. In the weeks that followed, you'll remember that the rally squirrel became a baseball sensation as Schumaker and the St. Louis Cardinals surged to an unlikely World Series title.

Now that l'il critter has somehow become big enough to push Schumaker almost completely off his own baseball card. According to Topps, it's the first time in company history that a player's card has not featured the player's face.The company also says that it hasn't given Schumaker a sneak peek at this latest piece of memorabilia, so one can only guess what he thinks of playing second fiddle to the squirrel on his own baseball card. But he can take solace in the fact that some of the cards will feature Schumaker's face. According to Beckett, the squirrel will only appear on the "short-print" variation of the card, making the squirrel version a valuable find for collectors out there.

Madden NFL 12 : Giants will win Super Bowl XLVI

The New England Patriots might be the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl XLVI, but the New York Giants have proven an uncanny knack for making odds-makers look ridiculous.And according to Madden, they're about to do it again. EA Sports has simulated Sunday's Big Game in Madden NFL 12 on the Xbox 360, and in another insane playoff nail-biter, the Giants edged out the Patriots, 27-24, to take home the franchise's fourth Lombardi trophy. But forget about the anticipated match-up between Tom Brady and Eli Manning. Like the last two playoff games, this one came down to a field goal. Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes, fresh off demolishing the dreams of San Francisco fans in OT, knocked down a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give the Giants the victory. Wonder if they simulated a virtual Billy Cundiff weeping pixelated tears, too?

The unlikely Giants win almost didn't happen. The Madden simulation saw Brady rally his troops from a 24-10 fourth quarter deficit, throwing for two TDs to tie up the game. But like he's done all year, Manning stormed back during the last Giants possession to set up the game-winning kick. He was also named the game's MVP, finishing 25-39 for 342 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The annual Madden simulation has proven pretty accurate at picking Super Bowl winners, though it fumbled badly last year in taking the Steelers over the Packers. Still, it's got a track record most gamblers would envy, nailing 6 of the last 8 games:

- Super Bowl XLV
Madden: Steelers, 24, Packers, 20
Actual score: Packer, 31, Steelers, 25

- Super Bowl XLIV
Madden: Saints 35, Colts 31
Actual score: Saints 31, Colts 17

- Super Bowl XLIII
Madden: Steelers 28, Cardinals 24
Actual score: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23

- Super Bowl XLII
Madden: Patriots 38, Giants 30
Actual score: Giants 17, Patriots 14

- Super Bowl XLI
Madden: Colts 38, Bears 27
Actual score: Colts 29, Bears 17

- Super Bowl XL
Madden: Steelers 24, Seahawks 19
Actual score: Steelers 21, Seahawks 10

- Super Bowl XXXIX
Madden: Patriots 47, Eagles 31
Actual score: Patriots 24, Eagles 21

- Super Bowl XXXVIII
Madden: Patriots 23, Panthers 20
Actual Score: Patriots 32, Panthers 29

DeSagana Diop with the worst free-throw miss in NBA history

DeSagana Diop has been in the NBA since 2001. He's a professional that is paid to play basketball and, occasionally, shoot (if not make) free throws. Making 8 of 10 puts him at the top of the line at his position. Missing half isn't great, but it can be overcome.This, from Saturday's game against the Washington Wizards, cannot be argued away: We all make mistakes. I'll toss in one typo for every 400 words published. I'll confuse "than" and "then" in a tweet. Missing a free throw like this, though, is like me attempting to write the word "their" and instead typing "L:JKWEFKIYJBillyJoel^^%$^BLWF&."

Which, admittedly, may happen someday. Hat-tip to Cameron Smith and SportsGrid.

Georgia's Anna Watson

It's one thing for professional athletes to have to make an ethical decision about using steroids, but college cheerleaders? Anna Watson has to be America's strongest female cheerleader; the University of Georgia student loves spending time in the weight room, and it certainly shows. But she has more important things in her life: Watson passed up a big money fitness modeling contract because she refused to use a legal steroid.

"It’s an elite position to be a cheerleader at UGA," Watson told Red and Black, her school's award-winning student newspaper. "They have hundreds of girls try out, and to be selected out of all of those people to be on the team, it’s kind of a big deal. So those girls were very humble and gracious and patient to help me just learn the basic stuff."

Watson has been cheering since age 5. She can bench press 155 pounds, squat 255 pounds and dead lift 230 pounds. According to the school newspaper, she added an impressive four inches of muscles on her arms in just 10 months.A deeply religious junior exercise and sports science major, Watson was on the brink of a $75,000 fitness-modeling contract that could have set her up for a lifetime career in modeling -- but she turned it down. 

A modeling agent wanted her to use Anavar, a legal anabolic steroid to help her gain up to 50 pounds of muscle. Worried about the effects on her body when she decides to have kids, Watson passed. "I don't serve a modeling agent. I serve the Lord," Watson said. "I'm not going to compromise my morals and my beliefs just to take pictures. I believe that my body is a temple and a beautiful creation, so I don't want to put anything into it that can harm it."

Despite being somewhat of a cult hero for her large muscles, Watson says that's not really who she is."I know that my identity is not in working out," Watson said. "It’s not who I am. It’s not what I want people to see me as. Yes, on the outside, I’m a very fit individual, but when you get to know me, my life is not all about exercise and working out." After cheering at three home Georgia football games, Watson is on the disabled list right now after rupturing her Achilles tendon.

Mike Tyson enters another Hall of Fame : WWE

"The Baddest Man on the Planet" never donned wrestling tights, but Mike Tyson made an impact during several appearances for the WWE. As a result, the former heavyweight boxing king will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31 in Miami, the day before Wrestlemania 28.

Tyson first worked for Vince McMahon's company back in 1998 at Wrestlemania 14. He was the special enforcer for a brawl between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels. Tyson reappeared in the squared circle in 2010 as a guest host during "Monday Night Raw." Tyson is part of a Who's Who of non-wrestlers to enter the WWE's Hall of Fame - Drew Carey, Bob Uecker, William "The Refrigerator" Perry and Pete Rose have been enshrined alongside the elite of the elite.

Tyson joins masked superstar Mil Mascaras and the legendary "The Four Horsemen." on March 31. Tyson's role with the WWE was more than a celebrity appearance, he got physical at times.

Big Relief : Towson, ending record losing streak

As Towson University's record losing streak extended into uncharted territory this winter, sophomore forward Marcus Damas grew more and more hesitant to answer his phone or check his email. "I'd get a call every day asking when we would get a win," Damas said Saturday. "A call, or a text, an email, a post on facebook, a mention on Twitter. Every day." Damas can expect nothing but congratulatory voicemails and text messages this weekend after Towson won its first game in 395 days. The Tigers defeated visiting UNC Wilmington 66-61 on Saturday to end the longest losing streak in Division I college basketball history at 41.

A win over a struggling conference foe that is just 8-13 this season wouldn't normally be cause for jubilation, but Towson celebrated on the floor and in its locker room as though it had just clinched an NCAA tournament berth. The Tigers (1-22, 1-10) went the entire 2011calendar year without a victory. Prior to Saturday, Towson's last win was a 93-90 OT victory against La Salle on Dec. 29, 2010. "It felt unreal," Damas said. "After all this work, we finally did it. It was a big relief." It has been 15 years since Towson last had a winning season, but this losing streak has been particularly dismal.

Twenty-eight of Towson's 41 losses have come by 10 or more points, including all but three this season. The closest the Tigers have come to winning during that stretch was a 95-93 overtime loss to UNC Wilmington last season in which they somehow squandered a 22-point lead in the final 14 minutes of regulation.There was a point on Saturday when it looked like Towson might surrender another lead to UNC Wilmington. The Seahawks trimmed an eight-point deficit to one and had a chance to take a lead with 20 seconds left, but they missed a pair of free throws, enabling the Tigers to escape with the long-awaited victory.

Towson's struggles this season are no surprise considering new coach Pat Skerry had to essentially rebuild the roster this offseason.

Leading scorer Isaiah Philmore transferred to Xavier shortly after former coach Pat Kennedy was fired. Braxton Dupree left to play professionally in Israel. And the indefinite suspension of leading returning scorer RaShawn Polk before the season left Skerry with just one player who played for Towson last season: redshirt sophomore forward Erique Gumbs, who averaged a mere 3.6 points. Skerry's recruiting prowess offers hope for the future. And in the short term, Towson believes not having the pressure of ending the streak could do wonders for the competitiveness of this team."Coming to Towson, we knew it was going to be hard," Damas said. "We didn't think it would be this bad, but nobody stopped believing. The competition just got hotter in practice. Nobody stopped trying liking a loser. Everybody just kept believing.

"To finally win today, it's a lot off our shoulders. It's a blessing."

Graeme McDowell gets an incredibly lucky bounce

If you didn't believe in the luck of the Irish before today, this clip should go a long way to making you a convert. Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell is one of the best golfers on the planet at the moment, but the shot he hit during Sunday's final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship -- in tournament news, Tiger Woods came into the round tied for the lead but ended up losing to Robert Rock -- had nothing to do with skill, and everything to do with some ridiculously good luck.

How crazy was McDowell's shot on the 18th hole? Put it this way: His hole-in-one on the par-3 12th was a mere afterthought on Sunday. After knocking his second into a bunker short of the 18th green, McDowell caught his approach shot thin and half expected it to end up in the grandstands behind the green.

But instead of ending up with an incredibly difficult fourth shot, McDowell's ball ricocheted off the grandstand and rolled back to within a couple feet of the cup. Of course, he went on to make the birdie putt and finish in a tie for third. He can thank the luck of the Irish for that shot.