As the final days of the calendar quickly pass by maybe now would be a good time to look back at some of the best and worst deals made over the course of the past 12 months as I put together my newsprint version of SportCentre's Year in Review.
Here is a look at some of the signings and player trades that someone somewhere will probably still be talking about one day down the road.
In July, the New England Patriots traded their 2013 draft pick for Chad Ochocinco. They signed him to a three-year, $20-million contract. During the 2011-12 season, the highly-publicized wide receiver has caught 13 passes, and 228 receiving yards and until this past didn't have a single TD catch. His first one came Sunday afternoon against Denver.
The Anaheim Ducks decision to sign Teemu Selanne to a $4-million contract for this season has been a pleasant surprise considering that the Finnish Flash is 41-years-old and is still a good enough skater that they still call him the Finnish Flash.
Back to the NFL, Donovan McNabb thought he found a new home in Minnesota when the Vikings signed him to a one year deal worth $7.25-million, however, the team decided to make the 35-year-old a backup to rookie Chris Ponder and McNabb reportedly was just released.
One of the best-looking deals right now in the NHL came back in the summer when the Philadelphia Flyers went out and signed former/current NHL superstar, Jaromir Jagr. Jagr, one of the most prolific goalscorers 10 years ago, was one of Pittsburgh's biggest offensive weapons. This season, he opted to take another shot with the Flyers so far this season, he is averaging a point per game.
The Patriots traded away their fifth round draft pick to Washington for former superstar Albert Hainsworth. Just before the NFL season started, the DT signed with New England for $8.7-million over two years. He was released last month. Hainsworth was claimed off waivers by Tampa Bay.
In baseball, the Washington Nationals signed outfielder Jayson Werth to a seven-year deal worth $126-million. It is the 14th highest contract in the history of the MLB. At the end of the year, he was at just .232 with 20 home runs and only 50 RBIs.
One of the better signings in baseball was the signing of Jose Bautista to a five year deal worth $65-million. The deal cost the Jays a lot of money but at least Bautista's season was well worth it. One-hundred fifty-five hits to go along with 43 homers and 103 RBIs.
The Leafs bettered their team even more when they traded Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim for Joffrey Lupul and then-prospect Jake Gardiner. This season, that deal has proven to be a good one. Lupul has 13 goals and 20 assists going into last weekend, while Gardiner has generated eight assists in 27 games played. When the NFL came to an agreement late in the summer, it was actually bad news for the Colts when they found out that QB Peyton Manning wasn't going to be cleared healthy to play. The Colts then signed Kerry Collins to replace him. They are currently the only team in the league whose record is at 1-13.
The Carolina Panthers took Cam Newton out of Auburn University and gave him a four-year deal worth $22-million. So far he's got 15 TDs and 3,573 yards passing. If there's anything you'd like to see covered by Game 7, please forward your suggestions to the Yorkton This Week sportsdesk by phone (306) 782-2465, or email jeff@yorkton this week.com.
