Colts QB Peyton Manning voted AP's NFL MVP

AP – Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning waves as he leaves the field after the Colts' 23-0 win …

NEW YORK – Peyton Manning can tell Brett Favre to move over and make room for him atop the roster of NFL Most Valuable Players.

For the third time, Manning won the award by The Associated Press, tying Favre as the only players in that elite category.

The Indianapolis Colts quarterback was a landslide winner Friday in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Manning also was the league MVP in 2003, when he shared it with Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair, and in 2004.

Favre, then with Green Bay, took MVP honors in 1995 and '96 before sharing it with Detroit running back Barry Sanders in 1997.

"I know it's an individual award, but ... truly, in my opinion, a team award," said Manning, who received 32 votes, far ahead of Miami quarterback Chad Pennington (4) and Atlanta running back Michael Turner (4).

"It's been the most rewarding regular season that I've been a part of in my 11 years, and I have to believe a lot of the other players and even coaches might feel the same way."

This has been a most unusual season for the Colts, who normally have the AFC South just about clinched by Thanksgiving. Manning had two operations on his left knee in the preseason, cutting into practice time, blunting his usual precision as a passer and, eventually, leading to a 3-4 start.

From there, with Manning getting sharper by the week, the Colts won nine straight games to secure a wild-card berth and a meeting Saturday night with San Diego.

In that streak, Manning is 209-of-290 for 2,248 yards and 17 touchdowns, with only three interceptions. He extended his NFL record with his ninth 4,000-yard season and finished with 27 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and a 95.0 passer rating.

Manning called the award emblematic of what others, including owner Jim Irsay, president Bill Polian and coach Tony Dungy, did to help rally the Colts from a 3-4 start to make the playoffs for a seventh straight season.

"I really accept this award on behalf of the team and the organization because there is no way we would be in the playoffs and bounced back without those three people creating a winning environment," he said.

The folks in Indianapolis might take for granted having Manning behind center, just as Packers and now Jets fans have assumed Favre would be there every week. Favre has started 269 straight regular-season games, the record for quarterbacks. Manning's string is 176 — every game since he was the No. 1 pick in the 1998 draft.

"In other years, everything started fast," Colts running back Dominic Rhodes said. "He's still breaking records. But this year, there were a bunch of negative things said in the beginning, and he brought his best when we needed his best.

"This is probably the best ball I've seen him play."

Tony Dungy would agree. The Colts' coach said several times he favored Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison for MVP — Harrison tied with Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson with three votes. But after Manning's flawless work in the second half of the season, Dungy, while admittedly biased, changed his mind.

"I said after we left Pittsburgh (on Nov. 9) that I would vote for James Harrison," Dungy noted this week. "If I was voting today, I'd vote for Peyton Manning."

A vast majority of the voters did.

Also receiving votes were San Diego QB Philip Rivers (2), Tennessee rookie RB Chris Johnson (1) and Arizona QB Kurt Warner (1).

"I'm honored to receive this award because of the number of other worthy candidates who had some great years," Manning said. "It was just fun for me, truly, to watch them. I'm just glad to be a part of it."

Nov 26 terror attack cost BCCI Rs 120 crore

MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has incurred a loss to the tune of Rs 120 crore this fiscal year mainly due to the November 26 terror attack.

"BCCI has incurred a loss of Rs 120 crore due to the cancellation of the Pakistan tour, Champions League that was to be held in the month of December and the two One-day matches against England due to the terror attacks," a BCCI source said on Friday.

Last month's terror attacks resulted in losses for the BCCI as the Englishmen returned home, though the team came back later for the Test series.

India were leading 5-0 in against the seven match One-day series but the last two One-dayers in Delhi and Guwahati could not be played.

The $six million Champions League was scheduled to be played between December 3-10 in three centres Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore.

The Twenty20 Champions and the runner up of founder members India, Australia and South Africa along with the Twenty20 Champions team of England (Middlesex) and Pakistan (Sialkot) were to play in the league. The first edition of Champions League has been put off till October 2009.

According to Finance Committee Chairman Rajiv Shukla, the decisions taken taken by Finance Committee in its meeting will have to ratified by the Working Committee which is to be held on Saturday.

Women to earn more than men at Sydney International tennis

AFP/File – Women tennis players will earn more prize money than their male counterparts at next week's Sydney …

SYDNEY (AFP) – Women tennis players will earn more prize money than their male counterparts at next week's Sydney International tournament, competition organisers said Friday.

Of the near 1.1 million US dollars up for grabs, the women will be vying for 600,000 US dollars, while the men will be playing for 484,750 dollars.

Tournament director Craig Watson said the discrepancy was due to the category of the event on the respective ATP and WTA tours.

"The women's (WTA) event is a Premier 600, which refers to the prize money figure and the men's is an ATP 250 Series, which refers to the ranking points the new champion will receive," Watson said.

The January 11-17 Sydney International is a key warm up tournament ahead of this month's Australian Open in Melbourne.

The 2009 Sydney women's champion will earn 98,500 US dollars, while the men's winner will pick up 78,500 US dollars.

Nine-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams headlines the women's tournament along with third-ranked Dinara Safina and Beijing gold medallist Elena Dementieva.

Last year's Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, his French compatriot Gilles Simon and Argentina's David Nalbandian are the top seeds in the men's draw.

Gavaskar, Kapil, Bedi named in first ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

SYDNEY: Three Indian cricketing legends, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Bishan Singh Bedi figured among the 55 former players named on Friday in the ICC's inaugural Hall of Fame list as part of its centenary celebrations.

ICC backs night Tests if suitable ball found

Launching the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said the initiative, in association with Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA), would provide the chance for the game to recognise its greatest achievers.

"Given a key theme of the ICC's centenary year is celebrating the game's heritage then the foundation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is an entirely logical step," he said. "It will provide a means of recognising the historical contribution of past players, officials and even institutions in making cricket what it is today, a great sport with a great spirit," he added.

Gavaskar expressed "humbled" to be named along with Sir Donald Bradman and Sir Garfield Sobers. "To be recognised by the premier authority in the game, the ICC, and that, too, in its centenary year, is an honour indeed. It is a privilege and I am overwhelmed and humbled to be included in such august company as Sir Donald Bradman and the one and only Sir Garry Sobers," he said in a statement.

Former Australia wicket-keeper Rodney Marsh became the first Hall of Famer to receive his commemorative cap from ICC president David Morgan. "I'm deeply honoured to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Being recognised in this way is humbling, especially when I look at the names of the players in this list and think about those who will join it in the years to come," Marsh said. "It (the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame) is another way of showing what a great history our game has and anything that does that has to be a good thing," Marsh said.

The career statistics and biographies of the 55 inductees can be found at the new ICC centenary website, also launched, www.catchthespirit.com.

Each year, starting 2009, new inductees will be announced during the LG ICC Awards ceremony. The initial inductees or, in the case of those who have passed away, their relatives will be presented with a commemorative ICC Cricket Hall of Fame cap at an appropriate stage during the ICC centenary year.

The living members of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame will also have the chance to choose new inductees. "We have studied numerous Halls of Fame in other sports to see what works and what doesn't and how best we can achieve our goal, to recognise the game's greatest achievers. We want to ensure that as many of the game's stakeholders as possible, including current ICC Cricket Hall of Famers and members of the public, get the chance to have their say in the process of choosing the game's true legends," Lorgat said.

FICA chief executive Tim May was delighted at the new joint initiative of cricketers' association and the ICC. "FICA believes it is important to honour the outstanding contributions many individuals have made to the game," said May.

"The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in association with FICA is obviously the appropriate forum to do so and we are delighted to join with the ICC in this great venture," he added.

ICC Cricket Hall of Fame inductees: Sydney Barnes, Bishan Singh Bedi, Alec Bedser, Richie Benaud, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Denis Compton, Colin Cowdrey, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Lance Gibbs, Graham Gooch, David Gower, WG Grace, Tom Graveney, Gordon Greenidge, Richard Hadlee, Walter Hammond, Neil Harvey, Ron Headley, Jack Hobbs, Michael Holding, Leonard Hutton, Rohan Kanhai, Imran Khan, Alan Knott, Jim Laker, Harold Larwood, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Clive Lloyd, Hanif Mohammad, Rodney Marsh, Malcolm Marshall, Peter May, Javed Miandad, Keith Miller, Bill O'Reilly, Graeme Pollock, Wilfred Rhodes, Barry Richards, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Garfield Sobers, Brian Statham, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Woolley, Frank Worrell.

Gavaskar, Kapil, Bedi named in first ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

SYDNEY: Three Indian cricketing legends, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Bishan Singh Bedi figured among the 55 former players named on Friday in the ICC's inaugural Hall of Fame list as part of its centenary celebrations.

ICC backs night Tests if suitable ball found

Launching the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said the initiative, in association with Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA), would provide the chance for the game to recognise its greatest achievers.

"Given a key theme of the ICC's centenary year is celebrating the game's heritage then the foundation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is an entirely logical step," he said. "It will provide a means of recognising the historical contribution of past players, officials and even institutions in making cricket what it is today, a great sport with a great spirit," he added.

Gavaskar expressed "humbled" to be named along with Sir Donald Bradman and Sir Garfield Sobers. "To be recognised by the premier authority in the game, the ICC, and that, too, in its centenary year, is an honour indeed. It is a privilege and I am overwhelmed and humbled to be included in such august company as Sir Donald Bradman and the one and only Sir Garry Sobers," he said in a statement.

Former Australia wicket-keeper Rodney Marsh became the first Hall of Famer to receive his commemorative cap from ICC president David Morgan. "I'm deeply honoured to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Being recognised in this way is humbling, especially when I look at the names of the players in this list and think about those who will join it in the years to come," Marsh said. "It (the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame) is another way of showing what a great history our game has and anything that does that has to be a good thing," Marsh said.

The career statistics and biographies of the 55 inductees can be found at the new ICC centenary website, also launched, www.catchthespirit.com.

Each year, starting 2009, new inductees will be announced during the LG ICC Awards ceremony. The initial inductees or, in the case of those who have passed away, their relatives will be presented with a commemorative ICC Cricket Hall of Fame cap at an appropriate stage during the ICC centenary year.

The living members of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame will also have the chance to choose new inductees. "We have studied numerous Halls of Fame in other sports to see what works and what doesn't and how best we can achieve our goal, to recognise the game's greatest achievers. We want to ensure that as many of the game's stakeholders as possible, including current ICC Cricket Hall of Famers and members of the public, get the chance to have their say in the process of choosing the game's true legends," Lorgat said.

FICA chief executive Tim May was delighted at the new joint initiative of cricketers' association and the ICC. "FICA believes it is important to honour the outstanding contributions many individuals have made to the game," said May.

"The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in association with FICA is obviously the appropriate forum to do so and we are delighted to join with the ICC in this great venture," he added.

ICC Cricket Hall of Fame inductees: Sydney Barnes, Bishan Singh Bedi, Alec Bedser, Richie Benaud, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Denis Compton, Colin Cowdrey, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Lance Gibbs, Graham Gooch, David Gower, WG Grace, Tom Graveney, Gordon Greenidge, Richard Hadlee, Walter Hammond, Neil Harvey, Ron Headley, Jack Hobbs, Michael Holding, Leonard Hutton, Rohan Kanhai, Imran Khan, Alan Knott, Jim Laker, Harold Larwood, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Clive Lloyd, Hanif Mohammad, Rodney Marsh, Malcolm Marshall, Peter May, Javed Miandad, Keith Miller, Bill O'Reilly, Graeme Pollock, Wilfred Rhodes, Barry Richards, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Garfield Sobers, Brian Statham, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Woolley, Frank Worrell.