(AP)

From the city that brought you an airplane banner calling for the firing of a general manager comes a highway billboard intent on luring the NFL's biggest quarterback to town.

But don't get too flattered, Peyton. This is the same fan base that desperately wanted Kyle Orton seven months ago.

The billboard pictured above was recently erected on Miami's I-595. It was put up by a group of fans and sponsors who would rather see Peyton Manning playing for the Dolphins than Matt Moore, Chad Henne, J.P. Losman, Tyler Thigpen, John Beck, Cleo Lemon, Joey Harrington, Gus Frerotte or any of the other ineffective QBs who have rolled through Sun Life Stadium since Dan Marino retired.

Previous Bud Jets canJust when you think the euphoria (and revenue-producing opportunities) surrounding the NHL's return to Winnipeg might ebb, along comes a limited run beer featuring local water blessed by hockey fans.

Beginning on Monday, Budweiser will release 24,000 two-fours of Winnipeg Jets Fan Brew — which comes in specially marked cans and a certificate of authenticity to assure the beer-swilling public that this beer does use, like, Saskatchewan water.

(Check out the can design here; the one shown on this post is from earlier this season.)

From the Winnipeg Free Press:

Back during the euphoria of the Jets' home opener on Oct. 9, Budweiser took water from historical landmarks in Winnipeg, including The Forks, the MTS Centre and the Manitoba legislature, put it in a container and took it around town to be blessed by hockey fans.

Some of that water was even poured onto the ice surface at the MTS Centre by Jim Ludlow, president and CEO of True North Sports & Entertainment.

That's awesome, while also something that makes us grateful for the brewery filtration process. Does Nathan Horton have any of that Boston Dirty Water left from the 2011 Finals, or did he empty it all on the ice? Because Sam Adams would be all over that.

Roy Oswalt may finally be wearing a new uniform by day's end. (AP)Baseball is back! Here at Big League Stew, we'll take a quick dash around the league each morning in an attempt to keep you updated on all the springtime storylines.

• Did you ever have to make up your mind? Roy Oswalt has dawdled all offseason, but it's said he's close to finally making a choice from the lovin' spoonful of teams interested in his services. An announcement comes close and MLB Trade Rumors gives us the reminder that the Cardinals, Rangers and Red Sox have all been linked to the 34-year-old righthander.

• Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that one of Oswalt's close friends "wouldn't be surprised" if the pitcher takes the Cardinals deal that he previously was not very impressed with.

• So at what point does the sweetest sounding phrase in the English language become "Pitchers and catchers ... and every position player who doesn't want to be seen as lazy?" Early report dates are becoming the norm for non-battery members, as evidenced by the fact that seven of the eight Braves' starters are already in camp.

(AP)Two coin tosses taking place on Friday morning will determine the final order of the 2012 NFL draft. The Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins will flip to see which team picks No. 8 or No. 9 in April's player selection, while the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks will call it in the air (or beforehand -- thanks, Phil Luckett) to determine the No. 11 and No. 12 picks.

This simple process leaves many answered, and unanswered, questions.

What are they flipping with? Does the guy in charge stand in the front of the room and comb through his pockets for a 2012 quarter? Does he reach in all his pockets, pat them down in frustration and ask, "anybody got a dime?"

According to the Charlotte Observer, the coins are specially minted for the occasion and feature logos of the respective teams on both sides.

Seriously? The NFL mints coins for a 10-second process that nobody outside a hotel conference room is going to see? That's like getting a Louis Vitton bag and putting the logos on the inside.

Yet it took a new collective bargaining agreement to give former players adequate health care.

Why did they wait so long to do this? The season has been over for 18 days.

The flips were delayed until the start of the scouting combine, presumably so every team could be in attendance.

Emil Igwenagu at the East-West Shrine Game (Getty Images)

MARTINSVILLE, N.J. — Could tight end Emil Igwenagu be the next NFL star to come from the UMass program?

Just two years removed from his collegiate career at UMass, New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz is enjoying a stellar start to his NFL career. An injury limited Cruz to just three games and no catches in his rookie season but he rebounded to lead the Giants in catches and receiving touchdowns this past year, including the first touchdown of their Super Bowl win. But the success of Cruz in the NFL, along with that of New England Patriots linebacker James Ihedigbo and New York Jets offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse,  means that the Minutemen have formed a small pipeline to the league.

Igwenagu is the next in line to possibly taste that success.

"There was a bit more buzz about the team — I'd say there was a bit more of the buzz. I definitely think the success of Victor and the other guys — those guys made a statement for UMass — it definitely helps with perception, with how [NFL] teams look at us," Igwenagu told Yahoo! Sports. "The whole thing with those guys got more exposure, them making it big on the big stage was a good thing for us looking at the NFL."

Much like bigger programs from BCS programs that have a legitimate standing in the eyes of NFL teams, UMass is certainly gaining respect on draft boards. One NFC scout, told Yahoo! Sports that the program is now viewed differently than in years past.

"When you look at the number of guys they've placed in the league, UMass is now a program that is sending players into the NFL regularly," the scout said. "And they're guys making an impact, guys starting and contributing. You have to look at these players now."

Igwenagu should get some long looks from teams in the middle rounds of the draft. He's got good size at 6'1 and 245 pounds and he has shown outstanding mobility; his invitation to the NFL Combine a testament to just how far the UMass program has come in just a few short years. His time in the 40 is expected to be in the 4.68 — 4.71 range and he looks to put north of 20 repetitions on the 225 pound bench press.
He will be running with the tight ends at the combine.

Two years ago, it was a bit of a shock when Ducasse was invited to the combine before eventually being taken in the second round of the draft. Now, it's almost commonplace that Igwenagu would get a nod, especially given his strong track record in the FCS.

"I wouldn't say I expected it at all, not a lot of people get invited to the combine. But it's definitely exciting and means a lot to me. Do I expect the success of the others from the program who have gotten drafted? No, not really. It is different people, different skillsets and that is what matters the most — so their success doesn't mean my success," Igwenagu said. "But it definitely shows me that there is a way to the league from UMass."

US PresswireJust a few weeks ago, New York Knicks fans were anxious to have point guard Baron Davis heal up and get onto the court. Of course, that was before Jeremy Lin began starting games and tearing through opponent's defenses.

Now Davis is back in action, he is coming off the bench, a fact that doesn't seem to bother him a bit. "It's my 13th year in the league, so I'm not fighting for anything but a championship," Davis said, according to ESPN New York. "That's all that matters."

Thursday, the team takes on the Miami Heat, a team whose biggest stars — LeBron James and Dwyane Wade -- spent some energy wooing him after he was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Davis said, according to the site.

"I spoke to Pat Riley. D-Wade, LeBron, they texted me and asked me what was up," Davis said, ESPN reports. "But I pretty much knew I wanted to come (to New York) and play in the Garden and play in front of these fans and play for this organization. I always wanted to play here, so this was really like my

Brett Lawrie (Getty Images)

You should all know the Spin Doctors rules by now: Two members of the Yahoo! fantasy team debate the merits of two similarly ranked fantasy assets, then readers get to tell us both how horribly wrong we are in comments. And then everyone gives a thumbs-down to Fitzy. Today, we're discussing Toronto's Brett Lawrie (Yahoo! ADP 54.4) and New York's Alex Rodriguez (45.9), which would have seemed ridiculous just 12 months ago. But times change, and so we spin...

Behrens begins: If you want to accuse me of drinking the Lawrie Kool-Aid, fine. I'll accept your abuse. If you think I'm naively paying a hopeful price on a guy who might be great in the big leagues, but hasn't done it yet, well ... yeah, OK. Fair enough.

The fact is, I don't make a habit of drafting very young players (he's 22) with very early picks (he's No. 29 in my ranks) unless I think I'm getting an absolute star, a player with the potential to deliver first-round value. Lawrie, to me, looks like a five-category beast. He was basically unstoppable at Triple-A last season, hitting .353/.415/.661 at Las Vegas with 18 home runs over 69 games, plus he was 13-for-15 on stolen base attempts. When he made the jump to the majors, he continued to produce: .293/.373/.580, nine homers, seven steals in eight attempts. If you're worried about the risk associated with this kid, then by all means leave him for me. I'll take him.

(AP)His last trip to Memphis was supposed to be the start of a late-career renaissance. This year's early exit will be used as evidence that the long decline is only beginning.

Defending champion Andy Roddick was ousted from the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis on Wednesday, losing his first-round match to world No. 75 Xavier Malisse, 7-6 (8), 7-5.

The loss was Roddick's earliest exit in 12 Memphis appearances and drops the 29-year-old to 2-3 on the young season.

Roddick was unable to convert two set points in the first, then was broken in his final service game of the second. It was his first career loss to the Belgian in nine meetings.

Since winning this tournament in 2011 on a diving shot against Milos Raonic, Roddick has seen his ranking drop from No. 8 to No. 27. He's advanced past the quarterfinals of just two tournaments, making no finals. Appearances at Wimbledon and the Australian Open ended before the first weekend.

The 500 rankings points earned during last year's win came off the books last week, precipitating Roddick's drop in the rankings.

Roddick has battled various injuries this season. A hamstring problem forced him to retire in Melbourne and he sprained his ankle last week in San Jose. He refused to blame the ailments on the loss.