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It's official: Bobby Jenks is a member of the Boston Red Sox. The hefty right hander signed a 2-year, $12 million contract with the team on Thursday, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney. 

Jenks provides a safety net as a setup man and backup closer behind Jonathan Papelbon for the Red Sox, who have had one of the busiest offseasons of any major league team. 

They had already acquired first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and outfielder Carl Crawford, and Jenks is the latest piece to be added to the puzzle. 

Papelbon struggled with his control at times in 2010, posting a career-high 3.90 ERA and blowing eight saves in 45 opportunities. 

Jenks also struggled in 2010, posting just 27 saves and a career-high 4.44 ERA in 52 1/3 innings. He became a free agent when the Chicago White Sox opted not to tender him an offer this season. 

For more baseball news, check out Bob Feller: Legendary MLB Pitcher Dies After Long Health Battle. 

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Yao Ming has suffered yet another setback to his comeback bid Thursday, as the 7'6" center was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left ankle. 

Yao has been battling injuries for some time now, and missed the entirety of the 2009 season recovering from foot surgery. The 31-year-old center has been out since November 5 with what the Houston Rockets were calling a bone bruise in his left ankle. 

The Rockets have set no timetable for his return.

Yao has talked in the past about retiring in the near future, because of all the injuries he's suffered in recent seasons, and the inglorious end to this season might be enough to convince him to call it quits.

He averaged 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in his five contests this season.

For more NBA news, check out NBA Rumors: Will Bulls Pursue Carmelo Anthony With Joakim Noah Injured? 

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Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and attempted owner of the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers, is taking on his biggest challenge yet (yes, bigger than David Stern): the BCS. 

Cuban's been reading the book "Death to the BCS", and has decided that funding a playoff that would put an end to the unpopular system could potentially be a fantastic business venture. 

The energetic owner of the Mavs has supposedly spoken to athletic directors from BCS conferences, who say they're enthusiastic about the idea. 

Cuban says it would take three or four years to get a playoff system fully implemented, and while bowls would still exist, it would become much more profitable for a team to make his playoff system than it would be for them to make a bowl game. 

Cuban has dabbled in many things since taking over as owner of the Mavs. The internet billionaire has attempted to buy both the Cubs and Rangers of Major League Baseball, and has been a constant bug in NBA commissioner David Stern's ear since taking control of the Mavericks. 

For more NBA news, check out NBA Rumors: Will Bulls Pursue Carmelo Anthony With Joakim Noah Injured? 

Michael Vick is officially an endorsable athlete again. He recently signed a new commercial contract with Woodbury Nissan, a suburb of Philadelphia. 

The first commercial was released today, and I have to say, Vick sparkles. His acting chops are obvious, his dialogue is spot-on. 

I'm thinking that even if the quarterback doesn't win NFL MVP this season, an Oscar or an Emmy could be in his future. 

My personal favorite moment is when he throws the keys. What you don't know is the person he hit was actually from a dealership next door. 

Or maybe it's when he sees his demo car, in one of the moments of true pain of the entire commercial. Vick looks devastated not to get the cool SUV to cruise in. 

At the very least, he deserves one of those SAG awards, don't you think?

And for those of you who think Vick doesn't deserve an endorsement deal, watch the commercial again, and you'll see he's still being punished. 

For more NFL news, check out Michael Vick Wants a Dog and Other Sports PR Nightmares. 

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Kyrie Irving, the talented Duke point guard who injured his toe on December 4 "Will be out a long time", according to head coach Mike Krzyzewski on his radio show Thursday. 

Coach K didn't elaborate on what "a long time" is, according to The Sporting News, but it is surmised that perhaps the supremely talented freshman could miss the rest of the year.  

Before he got hurt, Irving was the Blue Devils' leading scorer, and was second on the team in assists. He was averaging 17.4 points per game. 

"He's 18 years old," associate head coach Chris Collins told the Charlotte Observer. "He's going to play basketball for a long, long time. We have to think about his health and what's going to be best for him in the long-term."

For more college basketball news, check out College Basketball: The Best Individual Performances Thus Far in 2010-2011. 

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Time to take a closer look at NFL Picks for Week 15, in particular, Thursday night's showdown between the Chargers and 49ers. 

These two teams are in a pitched battle for their playoff lives. Neither one can afford a loss (although, San Diego could take a loss, if the Chiefs lose Sunday as well). The Bolts come in favored, and with good reason. Statistically, they're one of football's best teams on both sides of the ball. However, they can't quite seem to figure things out enough to get too far over .500 on the year. 

The 49ers, meanwhile, are playing some of their best football of the season, having gone 5-3 since their 0-5 start. The offense and defense are both starting to look more like the units they were supposed to be this season. 

In the end though, San Diego's got too much talent and benefits too much from playing at home for the Niners to pull a shocker. 

Final Score: San Diego 28, San Francisco 24. 

For more picks, check out NFL Picks Week 15: Power Ranking the Most Exciting Games of the Week. 

The Kardashian Christmas card ( I know, I was surprised the "Christmas" and "Card" weren't spelled with K's, too) was released on Thursday, and it's probably the most depressing looking Christmas photo in human history. 

The card, featuring WAGs Kim and Khloe Kardashian, as well as longtime WAG Kris Kardashian (married to former Olympian Bruce Jenner, of course!), has the whole crew standing and looking rather upset at the camera (apparently, smiling is for peasants, or something). Even the tiny Mason (Kourtney's son) looks upset. 

Plus, there's the gratuitous airbrushing and retouching, that makes Bruce look like it's 1985 again. Apparently, the Kardashians always go over the top with their Christmas cards, hence the fancy clothes in this one. 

For more on Kardashian, check out Kardashian Christmas Card: 10 Photos Of Kim We'd Rather Get In the Mail.

Paul Pierce had himself quite the ballgame against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. The Celtics guard knocked down what turned out to be the game winning shot with 0.4 seconds left in the game as Boston kept their 11 game winning streak alive. 

For much of the contest, though, it looked as though the Knicks would be the ones keeping their streak rolling. New York, led by Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton, jumped out to a seven point lead at halftime. 

The Knicks would still be up by seven in the fourth quarter, when Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and the Celtics showed why they were the defending Eastern Conference champs, taking a 118-116 lead on Pierce's shot. 

But, the Knicks nearly still pulled out the win, as Amare Stoudemire knocked down a three just after regulation ended. 

Pierce finished with a season high 32 points, as the Celts kept their 11-game winning streak rolling along, and improved to 20-4 with the win. 

For more NBA news, check out NBA Rumors: Will Bulls Pursue Carmelo Anthony With Joakim Noah Injured? 

Amare Stoudemire thought he'd done it. He was sure. Knicks fans were sure, his teammates were sure. 

But, in the end, they were all wrong. Officials overturned Stoudamire's three pointer off an inbounds pass with .4 seconds to play, and the Knicks fell to the Boston Celtics 118-116. 

It was a closely fought contest from start to finish, and Stoudemire was a big reason why. He scored 26 of his 39 points in the first half, as the Knicks jumped out to a seven-point lead at halftime. 

But, Boston showed why they're the defending Eastern Conference champs, rallying to take a 118-116 lead on a late three-point. 

Then Stoudemire knocked down his three, and Madison Square Garden went more bananas than it has in years. 

The only problem with the storybook ending was that the ball was clearly still in Stoudemire's hands as time expired. 

The loss snaps en eight-game win streak for the Knicks, who fell to 16-10. The Celtics win streak extended to 11 games, and they improved to 20-4 with the win. 

For more NBA news, check out NBA Rumors: Will Bulls Pursue Carmelo Anthony With Joakim Noah Injured? 

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Cam Newton can add another accolade to his considerable haul in 2010, after the U.S. House of Representatives honored the Auburn quarterback Wednesday. 

The motion, which praised Newton as "the most outstanding college football player in the United States" was presented by Alabama representative Mike Rogers, and passed with 328 yays, according to the Associated Press. 

The bill was non unanimously passed, though, as 15 members of the House voted nay and 18 abstained from the vote, mostly citing either differing college affiliations or concerns over Newton's recent scandal involving his father, Cecil. 

Newton had already taken home the Maxwell, O'Brien and Heisman trophies, and the Associated Press named him a first-team All-American. 

For more college football news, check out Bowl Schedule 2010-11: Power Ranking the 25 Worst Teams Receiving Bowl Invites. 

Amanda Beard, the seven-time Olympic swimming medalist, is writing a book, according to a report from CBS. 

In the Water They Can't See You Cry is due out in April 2012, just in time for Beard's push for the 2012 Olympics in London. 

In it, the four-time Olympian, who has done photoshoots for Playboy, Maxim, and FHM, will detail her struggles outside of the Olympic arena, where she battled drug and alcohol addictions, as well as serious eating disorders, for many years.

Beard says she hopes her memoir "will help others, especially high school and college-aged women, who may be dealing with some of the same issues," according to the CBS report. 

For more on Beard's memoir, check out Amanda Beard: 25 Photos That Would Make Us Want to Read Her Memoir. 

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It's time to take a closer look at NFL picks for Week 15. One of the weekend's top matchups pits the New York Jets against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Things have come off the rails a bit for the Jets in the last two weeks. A pair of bad losses to the Patriots in Week 13, and the Dolphins in Week 14, have the team in jeopardy of crashing out of the AFC East picture altogether. 

The offense has looked terrible, the defense has looked mortal, and the Jets are going to get no favors from another one of the NFL's most fearsome defensive units in Pittsburgh.

Led by safety Troy Polamalu, the Steelers' defense scored a pair of touchdowns off Carson Palmer interceptions in Week 14, and have been locking down opponents all season long. The offense is capable of going off, as well, making this one of the league's most dangerous teams. 

In the end, look for a hard fought, low-scoring affair here, but the Jets won't be able to right the ship in this one. 

Final score: Pittsburgh 17, New York 14. 

For more NFL picks, check out NFL Picks Week 15: Power Ranking the Most Exciting Games of the Week. 

Alina Kabaeva, the former Olympic gold medalist in rhythmic gymnastics, is in the news for a controversial Vogue magazine cover shoot she did for Russia's January 2011. Issue. 

Apart from possibly being prime minister Vladimir Putin's mistress, Kabaeva was wearing a dress featured in previous issues of Vogue, which is causing many people to call for a new cover. 

Kabaeva is a native of Uzbekistan, who moved to Russia to train in rhythmic gymnastics as a young girl. She took home bronze in 2000, and gold in 2004, both of which earned her a private audience with Putin, then the president of the country. 

She is a burgeoning politcian, having been a member of Russia's State Duma, as part of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party since 2007. 

In 2008, she was embroiled in a massive scandal when it was reported that she and Putin were to be married later that year, a rumor both parties vehemently denied. Kabaeva also had a child, although his father is unknown at this point. 

For more (alleged) WAG news, check out NHL WAGs: 25 All-Star Hockey WAGs Off the Ice. 

Amanda Beard, the seven-time Olympic swimming medalist, is reportedly writing a memoir. 

In it, Beard will detail her struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as her longtime battle with eating disorders. 

Why does that make this a must-read memoir? Because, while most of this was going on, Beard wasn't just burning up the pages of Maxim, FHM, and Playboy; she was an Olympic caliber athlete. 

Olympic athletes are oftentimes the most fine-tuned specimens humanity has to offer. They're in stellar shape, and stay so far away from things like drugs and alcohol that they wouldn't know them if they saw them. 

Beard was an Olympic athlete while doing drugs and alcohol and not eating properly. If that's not impressive, I don't know what is. 

For more reasons to check out Beard's book, check out Amanda Beard: 25 Photos That Would Make Us Want to Read Her Memoir. 

Jennifer McDaniel and Hulk Hogan are officially married. The couple of three years tied the knot Tuesday in a small ceremony in Clearwater, Florida. 

The couple met in 2008, shortly after Hogan divorced longtime wife Linda. Not much was known about McDaniel other than her age (she was 34 at the time), but Hulk seemed happy again. 

Prior to the ceremony on Tuesday, Hogan and McDaniel signed a pre-nuptual agreement, designed to protect Hulkamaniac's millions from potential golddigging. 

While I'm not implying that Hogan and McDaniel aren't in love, the pre-nup was the right move. After all, the last thing Hulk needs, given his battles with depression in the past, is for McDaniel to take off in four months with half of his endorsement money.

With the pre-nup in place, Hogan knows that McDaniel's not in it for the cash, and can sleep a bit easier at night. 

For more on the lovebirds, check out Hulk Hogan: How Did Wedding To Jennifer McDaniel Turn Into a Brawl?