Free Republic

Voters who bet on Republicans in the midterm election now have another GOP favorite on whom to place their money. A race horse owner in the Ohio district that Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) represents has honored the longtime congressman by naming one of his new horses “Weeper of the House,” as reports the Daily Advocate.

Richard Thill survived Pearl Harbor and waited 73 years for an ovation many of his comrades would never hear. So a stubbornly long New York Jets drive and icy wind at TCF Bank Stadium could not ruin his moment. The Vikings salute military veterans during the first television timeout of the second quarter each home game. Thill was a special honoree Sunday, Dec. 7 -- a solemn anniversary in U.S. history, one he hopes never fades from memory. The 91-year-old St. Paul native was introduced with a video tribute that included an interview and familiar black-and-white newsreels that showed the...

David Ferrier, who is best known for his appearances in the early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as one-half of the Heavenly Bodies as "Gigolo" Jimmy Del Ray, has passed away. PWInsider.com has confirmed that Ferrier died Saturday night following what is believed to have been a heart attack. He was 52-years-old.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame intends to announce the first phase of its Class of 2015 on Monday, during the first day of the annual Winter Meetings. Nine former players and one executive make up this year's recently released 10-person Golden Era Committee ballot. The 16-person committee will meet on Sunday, then vote Monday only hours before the 11 a.m. PT announcement. The nine players include first basemen Dick Allen and Gil Hodges, third baseman Ken Boyer, outfielders Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva, pitchers Jim Kaat, Billy Pierce and Luis Tiant and shortstop Maury Wills -- the first player...

~~ Come on in and shoot the breeze! ~~ Welcome to Tom Gresham's Gun Talk® Radio Network, the only nationally syndicated radio talk show about firearms, shooting and gun rights. Tune in on Sundays, 08:00-11:00pm EST, and give us a call at 1-866-825-5486.

The Rams shut out the 'Skins 24-0 today, but St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher punked Washington before the game even started. Remember when Washington traded up in the 2012 draft to get Robert Griffin III? Oh, Fisher remembers.

College Football Playoff Bowl Date Location Matchup Prediction Championship Bowl Jan. 12 Arlington, Texas Semifinal winners TBD Sugar Bowl Jan. 1 New Orleans, La. Semifinal Alabama* vs. Ohio State* Rose Bowl Jan. 1 Pasadena, Calif. Semifinal Oregon* vs. Florida State* Selection Committee Bowl Games Bowl Date Location Matchup Prediction Cotton Bowl Jan. 1 Arlington, Tex. At-Large vs. At-Large Baylor* vs. Michigan State* Orange Bowl Dec. 31 Miami, Fla. ACC vs SEC/Big Ten/Notre Dame Georgia Tech* vs. Miss. State* Fiesta Bowl Dec. 31 Glendale, Ariz. At-Large vs At-Large Arizona* vs. Boise State* Peach Bowl Dec. 31 Atlanta, Ga. At-Large vs....

Four teams in playoff: 1: 'Bama2: Oregon3: FSU4: THE Ohio State University

Playoff.com Final 4 1. Alabama 2. Oregon 3. TCU 4. FSU Nate Silver Final 4 (538 blog) 1. Alabama 2. Oregon 3. TCU 4. FSU

Several media pundits have opined over the last several months that it almost appears that divine intervention is playing a role in the continuing close, come-from-behind victories that Florida State University has achieved this season. If so, would that be a valid reason for the Football Playoff Committee to exclude FSU from the Top Four? After all, Alabama would not want to play America's Team, the Dallas Cowboys, so they SURELY would not want to play God's Team, no?

The big win by the Buckeyes probably put them into the final four of the College Football Playoff. The rankings by the committee (due in about 25 hours) are likely going to be: Tide Ducks Noles Bucks

Washington head coach Jay Gruden could be "one and done" with the team if he insists on moving on from quarterback Robert Griffin III heading into the 2015 season, according to a report from Jason Reid of The Washington Post. Griffin was benched by Gruden in favor of Colt McCoy when it became clear that Griffin wasn't able to execute the kind of offensive gameplan that Gruden likes to run. Namely, Griffin struggles to make reads from the pocket, and Gruden's offense relies on a pocket passer.

UFC Welterweight Championship Johny Hendricks (c) (16-2) vs Robbie Lawler (24-10, 1 NC) UFC Lightweight Championship Anthony Pettis (c) (17-2) vs Gilbert Melendez (22-3) Heavyweight Travis Browne (16-2-1) vs Brendan Schaub (10-4) Heavyweight Todd Duffee (8-2) vs Anthony Hamilton (13-3) Lightweight Tony Ferguson (16-3) vs Abel Trujillo (12-5)

HICAGO -- Tony Romo has been dealing with the effects of back surgery this past offseason and two transverse process fractures, and the Dallas Cowboys quarterback let it slip Thursday night that he also has been playing through a broken rib for the better part of two months.

Do you enjoy hearing the song "Dixieland Delight" sung by a packed Bryant-Denny Stadium during Alabama football games? Well, it appears we’ve heard it for the last time – at least for now. The singing of "Dixieland Delight" has been a Crimson Tide tradition for years, but the school has decided to put a stop to the song because Bama fans turn it into a vulgar taunt of the opponent. An email was recently sent around Alabama’s marketing folks requesting the song be removed from all athletic events until the university’s AD decides otherwise.

The NFL's first openly gay player, Michael Sam, has been named Man of the Year by men's magazine GQ, and celebrated the accolade by planting a kiss on his partner Vito Cammisano. Sam, who was drafted into the St Louis Rams earlier this year, took home the award at a ceremony at West Hollywood's Chateau Marmont last night. Other stars in contention for the prize were Chris Pratt, Steve Carell, Dave Chappelle, Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley.

The Green Bay Packers are on a hot streak. The team has now won a league-best four in a row, including last Sunday’s 26-21 victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 368 yards and two touchdowns, continuing a series of rock-solid performances. Rodgers has been one of the league’s top quarterbacks for several years now, but elevating your performance week after week can be a tough task with the level of competition in the NFL — and his extra boost in play might be coming from an surprising source. Some are calling...

Robert Griffin III's days in Washington appear to be numbered. Jay Gruden believes Griffin is more concerned about building his brand off the field than with his play on it and the first-year head coach is "now done with him," according to Jason Reid of The Washington Post, citing multiple people within the organization. Griffin, who was selected No. 2 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, hasn't won a game in more than a calendar year and is viewed as a long-term project as a pocket passer by Gruden, according to the report. Before being benched for quarterback Colt McCoy...

the crocodile attacked van der Sandt while he was standing at waist height in the water and reaching below the surface to feel for golf balls on the bottom of the dam at about 10 p.m.. ... About 280 people have been attacked worldwide by crocodiles this year

The College Football Czar: Week 15 Week fourteen in review: The College Football Czar nearly had another sub-.500 week, but rallied in the four late games on Saturday night to finish 14-13. As much as the Czar criticizes the SEC supremacy theory, he admits to have gotten caught up in it himself over Thanksgiving weekend. Not only had he become convinced that Mississippi State was a national championship contender, but he picked the SEC to dominate its traditional ACC rivals, when it turned out that the ACC went 4-0 in those matchups. For the season, that means the SEC is...