Cam Newton

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with some reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine. Running it back: NFL owners and players decided Thursday to keep the current CBA in place for an additional 24 hours so that negotiations can continue . ... An appeals court in the Dominican Republic granted Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon's request to be released on bail . ... Brian Matusz got his 2011 season underway with two scoreless innings in the Orioles' 2-0 loss against the Twins . ... Michael Phelps posted the fastest times in the world this year in both of his events Thursday at the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

The moment when Robert Griffin III stepped to the podium Saturday night to receive the Heisman Trophy, greeted by a contingent of past winners, the Baylor quarterback automatically became eligible for membership in another sort of club. Not that he wants to join it. No player does. It is the society of Heisman flops. Scroll down the long and prominent list — Pat Sullivan, Jason White, Eric Crouch, et al. — of men who stood on college football's highest pedestal only to crash and burn as pros.

Cam Newton threw for three touchdowns and ran for one, leading No. 2 Auburn back from a 24-point deficit Friday for a stunning 28-27 victory over No. 9 Alabama that kept the Tigers on course for a shot at the national championship. Auburn (12-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) trailed 21-0 before it even picked up a first down, and Alabama (9-3, 5-3) had a 314-2 lead in total yards at one point in the first half. But Newton, with the signature performance in what has become a season of controversy, rallied the Tigers for a victory that left the Tuscaloosa, Ala., crowd of more than 101,000 in stunned disbelief when it was over.

Dear Santa, I realize I'm a little old to be writing to you this Christmas, but I just don't have anywhere else to turn. I'm grateful for the 17 Norelco razors you've left me over the past couple of decades and really couldn't do without that thing on TV that chops up tomatoes so quickly and efficiently, but — even in this recession — I've got enough stuff. That's why I'm writing you to ask for something that will make millions of Americans happy for many holiday seasons to come.

The Ravens continue to show interest in Casey Matthews , talking to the Oregon inside linebacker at the NFL Scouting Combine after meeting with him at last month's Senior Bowl. Matthews is considered a third- or fourth-round prospect who has drawn increased attention because his father, Clay Matthews Jr. , played 19 years in the NFL and his brother, Clay Matthews III , was the runner-up this year for NFL defensive player of the year. "Friends will ask me, 'Do you feel pressure?

The first round of the 2011 NFL draft takes place in New York City next Thursday with plenty of uncertainty and intrigue -- and indifference from some disenchanted fans -- as the football freeze unthaws for draft weekend. It will be interesting to see how the draft unfolds during the lockout. Usually, free agency takes place before the draft, but not this year, so draft philosophies will be changed. Players can't be traded, so that could cut down on the number of trades. And with a rookie wage scale likely to be in place post-lockout, teams might be willing to gamble on high-risk players since it won't cost them as much to roll the dice.

With the NFL's labor situation in limbo, the league heads into what promises to be a turbulent offseason filled with questions, uncertainties and speculation. Team owners are dug in, as are players, and each side is waiting for the other to flinch — with the real possibility that a lockout could compromise training camps and even lead to games being missed. Still, the football world doesn't stop spinning. Teams are jockeying, planning, positioning themselves to be just where the Green Bay Packers are now: clearing room in the display case for the Lombardi Trophy.

Ohio State is one and done as No. 1. John Clay ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns and James White darted in for the clinching score in the fourth quarter as No. 18 Wisconsin took down top-ranked Ohio State 31-18 Saturday night. For the second week in a row, there will be a new No. 1 in college football, with the Buckeyes (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) falling the way Alabama was beaten last week — on the road and in conference. Wisconsin hadn't beaten a No. 1 since 1981, when the Badgers knocked off Michigan 21-14.

The 2010 NFL season is over and it's unclear if and when the 2011 season will start, but I have good news for Ravens fans (well, besides the Steelers losing to the Packers in the Super Bowl). That's right, it's mock draft season, which means we'll be glued to the TV whenever ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay scream at each other about what college students look like with their shirts off or we'll be digging up information about a random punter from Idaho just because some yahoo on the Internet said the Ravens will take him at No. 26. Between now and April's draft -- yes, there will be one no matter what -- I'll pump out a few mock drafts, too. Feel free to let me know your thoughts, but remember, they are purely speculative and shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Grant Enders always wanted to play for Towson. Coming out of Old Mill in Anne Arundel County, Enders was recruited by Gordy Combs and believes he would have started his college career with the Tigers had Combs not been fired after the 2008 season. The road Enders took eventually led him back to Towson, but not before Enders spent an "unhappy" year redshirting at Holy Cross and then resurrecting himself at Lackawanna Junior College in Scranton, Pa., last year. "I wouldn't change anything if I could," Enders said Thursday afternoon, sitting in one of the football offices at Johnny Unitas Stadium.