While the official Miami debut of LeBron James and Chris Bosh was spoiled by the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, the new teammates have already been a big success in their new uniforms on the collectibles scene.

The first Heat cards of James and Bosh that were found in packs of officially licensed NBA cards have fetched as much as $42 in online auctions tracked by Beckett Media.

Panini America LeBron James made his Heat basketball card debut in the 2009-10 Panini Season Update set.

Those are prices paid for just standard basketball cards, not ones that include an autograph or a piece of a game-used jersey on the card. That's not bad at all, according to Beckett senior market analyst Keith Hower, and that's the kind of interest that should remind basketball collectors of another elite player.

"The last time a team change for a marquee player had such an impact on the hobby was the return of Michael Jordan in a Washington Wizards uniform," Hower said. "A Jordan Bulls card would typically trade for around $5, but the new uni saw his first Wizards cards selling for upwards of $25 per."

Both Bosh and James made their Heat debuts in the 2009-10 Panini Season Update set, which was the final product before this season's cards arrived. Bosh's card in the set has sold in online auctions for anywhere from 30 cents to $14 with a typical sale of about $10.

James' card has proven to be a bit more pricey -- but still as volatile -- as it has sold for as low as $17 and as high as $42. Hower said a majority of the sales are for less than $30, which is where the card presently sits in Beckett's price guide.

Just in case Heat fans didn't have enough cards to look out for, though, Panini America, the lone licensee of NBA cards, tipped off its season with 2010-11 Panini Prestige series. That product includes more than 20 cards of James and more than a dozen different Bosh cards that just might be hotter once the season is in full swing.

The National Sports Collectors Convention annually showcases some of the rarest and most bizarre memorabilia in the world. ESPN's "E:60" sent Bill Simmons to Baltimore to guide us through the menagerie of oddball items and people.

Dr. James Naismith's typewritten 13 original rules of basketball are going up for auction in Manhattan this December, when they are expected to sell for at least $2 million.

As for Naismith's original, lesser-known amendments to the rules? Page 2's dubious network of sources has unearthed these additional guidelines. Take a look:

• Click here to see Page 2's exclusive Naismith document in its entirety

Steve Smith would rather eat cake. Red velvet cake, to be exact. Or cheesecake, he'll take that too.

But because the New York Giants wide receiver wants to continue to have performances like he did against the Cowboys on Monday night (nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown), he'll instead choose to eat a turkey burger or some chicken skewers. The unique thing is his food comes in a Hollywood-friendly, precooked, calorie-controlled package.

AP Photo/Mike FuentesNew York Giants receiver Steve Smith uses pre-packaged food as part of his fitness regimen.

Smith, a former USC standout, chuckles a bit when he thinks about it -- that he's one of few male athletes who have admitted on record to using a food delivery system that Hollywood starlets order to stay in shape.

He utilizes The Fresh Diet, which has been used by women like actress Pam Anderson and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger to tone up, but Smith says he doesn't care. It's also the same $40-a-day plan that "The View" co-host Sherri Shepherd used to drop 41 pounds, based on the Zone Diet.

He isn't hiding behind it either; he has been seen photographed with a big bag of the ready-made food that gets delivered to him at his New Jersey home daily.

"In the offseason I use it about every day; it was a really big part of my offseason and it helped me just to maintain and stuff," he says.

Smith acknowledges that he had a great physique pre-Fresh Diet, but he opted to do it because he says he's a perfectionist. He knows that there are loads of other players out there who train hard, but says he needed help with the nutrition part of it, and the diet is convenient for a 25-year-old single guy.

The company is based in Miami, and currently services Boston, Philadelphia, the New York area, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago and Florida.

Smith also gets regular acupuncture treatments and has a Swiss trainer, who helps him to reinforce his regular regimen.

"We try to strengthen my groin and core strengthening and that's really big. That's what you use pass blocking a lot of the time. The acupuncture is kind of uncomfortable, but it's unique, and it's necessary," he said. "It's going to be a long season."

BALTIMORE -- Sister Virginia Muller had never heard of shortstop Honus Wagner.

But she quickly learned the baseball great is a revered figure among collectors, and the most sought-after baseball card in history. And thanks to an unexpected donation, one of the century-old cards belongs to Muller and her order, the Baltimore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame.

AP Photo/Ric FrancisHonus Wagner cards, such as this one seen in Los Angeles in 2008, have sold for millions.

The sisters are auctioning off the card, which despite its poor condition is expected to fetch between $150,000 and $200,000. The proceeds will go to their ministries in 35 countries around the world.

The card is part of the T206 series, produced between 1909 and 1911. About 60 Wagner cards are known to exist.

A near-mint-condition T206 Wagner card sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card. Muller remains aghast that the 1¼-inch-by-2½-inch piece of cardboard could sell for even a fraction of that.

"It just boggles your mind," Muller told The Associated Press. "I can't remember a time when we have received anything like this."

The brother of a nun who died in 1999 left all his possessions to the order when he died earlier this year. The man's lawyer told Muller he had a Honus Wagner card in a safe-deposit box.

When they opened the box, they found the card, with a typewritten note: "Although damaged, the value of this baseball card should increase exponentially throughout the 21st century!"

The card was unknown to the sports-memorabilia marketplace because the nuns' benefactor had owned it since 1936.

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Polar bear swimming is made harder when try to you dive into the freezing water and find yourself diving onto ice instead.

Have you seen a cool sports-related video that deserves to go viral? Email me tips at cdavidmartin@yahoo.com. Videos should be recent and less than 2 minutes.

MILWAUKEE -- Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett has been a lawyer, a congressman and the mayor of Milwaukee.

But never in his life has he been a real-life "Where's Waldo?"

"It's a dream come true, that's all I've gotta say," he said.

Matthew Lindner A fan at the Milwaukee Admirals game shows his support for Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett.

Milwaukee Admirals fans could be forgiven for seeing double … or triple on Saturday night.

The American Hockey League team handed out 3,500 double-sided masks featuring Barrett and his Republican rival, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, to their fans in hopes of getting a feel for their political pulse in advance of the Nov. 2 election.

Walker did not attend the game because of a prior commitment. State Sen. Ted Kanavas was his stand-in. Barrett and Walker are running to replace Gov. Jim Doyle, who is not seeking a third term.

In the third period of the game, the Admirals had fans hold up the face of the candidate they want to be the next governor. And if hockey fans are any indication, the Democrats are going to have a lot to smile about.

Team spokesman Charlie Larson said Barrett pulled out a narrow victory in this faceoff. But despite that, the Republicans aren't sweating this loss.

"I wouldn't say it's going to be accurate, but it is going to be fun," Kanavas said.

But more important, did the pictures do reality justice?

"This picture makes [Barrett's] face looks rounder," Admirals fan Jessica Weber said. "He's got more of a thinner, longer face in person."

Said Barrett: "I think it's me with my hair combed."

On the Republican side, plenty of fans felt that Walker cut a dashing figure -- but his likeness might not have portrayed that.

"[Walker]'s a lot happier guy than that picture looks," Kanavas said.

What if the major sneaker companies decided to once and for all settle the ultimate beef? Each one taking their best basketball players and challenge one another on the court instead of in Foot Locker?

Nike players against adidas. Jordan Brand against Converse. Li Ning against the World.

It's one thing to claim swagger rights in the P&L; statements, it's another to win in the pre-eminent game of "Vs. Anyone." If each company put its best six players up (starting five, one bench player), it could be the greatest mythical basketball battle ever witnessed.

The Squads:

• Nike: Kobe Bryant. LeBron James. Kevin Durant. Dirk Nowitzki. Amare Stoudemire. Steve Nash (sixth man).

• adidas: Dwight Howard. Derrick Rose. Tim Duncan. Chauncey Billups. Josh Smith. Candace Parker (sixth woman).

• Reebok: John Wall. Yao Ming. Jamal Crawford. Al Jefferson. Jameer Nelson. Danilo Gallinari (sixth man).

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He's gone. After correctly predicting the outcome of eight World Cup matches, Paul the Octopus died in his tank in a German aquarium today, leaving behind an unblemished sports prognosticating legacy and -- no, really! -- his own agent.

Where does Paul rank among history's greatest seers? Page 2 presents our unscientific rankings:

1. Paul the Octopus
Resume: 8-for-8 in 2010 World Cup.
Key insight: Sports gambling is an exact science best left to the experts.

2. Nostradamus
Resume: Depending on your interpretation, foresaw Napoleon, Hitler, 9/11, the Challenger disaster, the brief rise of Dan Cortese and the Kardashian dynasty.
Key insight: The vaguer the prediction, the better it sounds in retrospect.

3. Joe Namath
Resume: Guaranteed Super Bowl III victory.
Key insight: The keenest prophecies are self-fulfilling.

26. Jonathan Niednagel
Resume: "Brain Type" expert predicted Ryan Leaf would be an NFL bust.
Key insight: The NFL draft is a crapshoot.

33. Sports Illustrated
Resume: In 1974, the magazine predicted that "we may not see men fighting to the death, but we could have animals killing each other -- cockfights, pit bulldogs, maybe even piranhas eating each other to death on television."
Key insight: Has a truer -- if figurative -- description of Reality TV ever been written?

274. Matt Hasselbeck
Resume: Wanted the ball, was going to score.
Key insight: It is bragging if you can't back it up.

701. The New York Times
Resume: In 1939, said the problem with television is that the average American wouldn't have time to watch it.
Key insight: "Television" and "Cop Rock" are not the same thing.

993. Jonathan Niednagel
Resume: Predicted Kobe Bryant "would never be able to consistently come through under pressure" like Michael Jordan.
Key insight: Like "brain typing," predicting is a crapshoot.

"The Natural is supposed to be a blue-eyed boy who teethed on a 36-ounce Louisville Slugger. He should run like the wind and throw boysenberries through brick. He should come from California." -- Steve Wulf, Sports Illustrated, 1981.

So how was it that a pudgy 19-year-old Mexican left-handed pitcher from a remote village in the Sonoran desert, unable to speak a word of English, could sell out stadiums across America and become a rock star overnight?

In Tuesday's 30-for-30 film Fernando Nation, Mexican-born and Los Angeles-raised director Cruz Angeles traces the history of a community that was torn apart when Dodger Stadium was built in Chavez Ravine and then revitalized by one of the most captivating pitching phenoms baseball has ever seen.

Nicknamed "El Toro" by his fans, Fernando Valenzuela ignited a fire that spread from LA to New York -- and beyond. He vaulted himself onto the prime time stage and proved with his signature look to the heavens and killer screwball that the American dream was not reserved for those born on U.S. soil.

In this layered look at the myth and the man, Cruz Angeles recalls the euphoria around Fernando's arrival and probes a phenomenon that transcended baseball for many Mexican-Americans. Fernando Valenzuela himself opens up to share his perspective on this very special time. Even 20 years later, "Fernandomania" lives.

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FRANKFURT, Germany -- Paul the Octopus, the tentacled tipster who fascinated football fans by correctly predicting results at this year's World Cup, died Tuesday.

Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty ImagesPaul the Octopus, who went a perfect 8 for 8 in World Cup picks before retiring, died on Tuesday at the aquarium in Germany where he lived.

Paul had reached the octopus old age of 2½ years and died in his tank on Tuesday morning in an aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen, spokeswoman Ariane Vieregge said.

Paul seemed to be in good shape when he was checked late Monday, but he did not make it through the night. He died of natural causes, Vieregge added.

Stefan Porwoll, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Center in Germany that housed Paul, said: "We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here and that the care provided him by our dedicated displays team could not have been bettered.

"His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself. We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine.

"While this may seem a curious thing to do for a sea creature, Paul achieved such popularity during his short life that it may be deemed the most appropriate course of action."

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Page 2 columnist Scoop Jackson sits down with NFL legends Carl Banks and Tony Dorsett to get their opinions on how much longer the Minnesota Vikings can tolerate Brett Favre.

For past interviews, check out our site.

Could this be the first real upset in ABC's "Dancing with the Stars"?

The 11th season has gone almost as scripted as five couples have already been eliminated, with seven teams remaining.

But on Monday night, ex-NFL star Kurt Warner, who has been in the middle of the pack all season, bombed. He and Anna Trebunskaya scored a 22 out of 40 points. That's the first time this season they've been at the bottom.

For Warner, it's been a tough few weeks, learning dance moves and keeping pace.

"I never wanted to be a dancer, so it's difficult trying to get all these steps down," Warner said. "Some days I just feel I don't do anything right. It's been some long days of practice."

The duo with the best score Monday was Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who scored a 36. Brandy is coming into her own and is becoming the favorite.

Audrina Patridge (with Tony Dovolani) scored a 32, while Rick Fox (with Cheryl Burke) and Kyle Massey (with Lacey Schwimmer) scored a 30.

The second lowest couple was Bristol Palin (with Mark Ballas) with 28 points.

But could it be the end for Warner?

We'll find out Tuesday night on the elimination show.

This is an inspired Pacman stunt.

Have you seen a cool sports-related video that deserves to go viral? Email me tips at cdavidmartin@yahoo.com. Videos should be recent and less than 2 minutes.

The arrival of LeBron James in Miami has inspired all sorts of enthusiasm.

One of the more creative forms for expression of excitement to pop up is the LeBron James Poetry Contest -- which one of the people behind the idea calls "poetry in motion."

AP Photo/Wilfredo LeeDoes this sight make you burst into rhyme? If so, you should've entered the LeBron James Poetry Contest.

WLRN, the public radio station in its partnership with The Miami Herald joined forces with O, Miami, a poetry festival that is debuting in the city this April, to sponsor the poetic challenge.

"LeBron James coming to Miami is a major event in the history of this city and a story that really resonates with our listeners," said Dan Grech, Radio News Director for WLRN/Miami Herald News, who came up with the poetry idea. "However, radio is filled with sports talk stations. So the origin of this contest was the question, 'How can we cover this major, legitimate, news event in the city in a way that feels consistent with our mission and public radio.

"So the idea was to marry the high art of poetry with basketball, which is poetry in motion."

The contest ran Oct. 14-22. Six finalists and the winner will be announced Tuesday on WLRN as well as in The Miami Herald. The rules required that the poems be no more than six lines long, commemorate the arrival of Lebron James in Miami, and use any standard poetic form (rhyme, haiku, limerick, free verse, etc.)

The winner will be invited to read their poem on WLRN, receives two complimentary tickets to a Miami Heat game during the season, and a pair of tickets to the finale of the O, Miami: A Contemporary Poetry Festival in April.

"It's been an amazing number of entries, it's just spectacular how people have responded," Grech said. "We have more than 600 entries and 27 in Spanish. This has been great because it's finding a way to get people excited about poetry."

In a new Nike spot, LeBron James takes his case straight to the court of public opinion.

NBA commissioner David Stern said he wants to cut player salaries by 33 percent.

"We would like to get profitable, have a return on investment," he said. "There's a swing of somewhere in the neighborhood of $750 to $800 million that we would like to change. That's our story and we're sticking with it."

Sure you are, Commish. There's no way Stern thinks he can shave one third of the players' salaries. But he's right -- something needs to change. To humor Stern, I've identified a way for him and his poor, cash-strapped owners to shed the $750 million in salary (with some slight fudging here and there, of course).

33 PERCENT CUTS: For players who just downright aren't actually worth their wage.

Savings: $120 million (with potential)

Casualties: Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson, Emeka Okafor, Hedo Turkoglu, The Spurs Trio (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker), Rashard Lewis, T.J. Ford, Zach Randolph, Troy Murphy, Jason Richardson, Kenyon Martin, Kirk Hinrich, Samuel Dalembert, Vince Carter, Jason Kapono, Baron Davis, Boris Diaw, Nick Collison, Travis Outlaw, Andrew Bynum. You make cases for a few more on this list.

Don't fight it, accept it: Taking a pay cut is only right -- they'd still be well paid.

LEAGUE MINIMUMS: Some players aren't worth anywhere near their current salaries, but don't deserve to be kicked out the league. They can stick around for a mil' or so.

Savings: $70 million (with potential)

Casualties: Gilbert Arenas, Nazr Mohammed, Mike Bibby, Michael Redd, Hasheem Thabeet, Dan Gadzuric, Luke Walton, Marko Jaric, Vladimir Radmanovic, DeSagana Diop. And, really, feel free to add to this one.

The ugly truth: Gil has tried to get fired all preseason, culminating in his faked injury stunt. A $16 million pay cut will break those pockets. Bibby had some great moments in his career, but at this stage he can't create and couldn't check a bag on a flight, let alone an NBA point guard.

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EA Sports"Madden NFL 11" is now in 3-D thanks to a partnership between EA Sports and Doritos.

Think you've seen everything there is to see in "Madden NFL 11"?

Time to rub your eyes and take another look, only this time you need to throw on a pair of glasses with red and cyan lenses.

That's right, "Madden 11" is going 3-D.

Thanks to the ongoing partnership between EA Sports and Doritos, gamers can head to stores and pick up specially branded "Madden" 3-D bags of chips. Each bag has a unique code that consumers can input on the website Doritoschangethegame.com. Once the code is entered and the gaming platform is selected (Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3), the system generates a Doritos 3-D code that unlocks the mode in "Madden 11."

The special bags of Doritos hit stores Monday, and exclusive "Madden" 3-D glasses will be inserted inside ESPN The Magazine when the latest issue arrives in stores Nov. 5. (However, any pair of traditional 3-D glasses with red and cyan lenses will work to view the game in 3-D.)

"I can't believe we were able to keep this a secret for so long," said Chris Erb, senior director of partnership marketing for EA Sports. "We were expecting someone to find this early.

"But we wanted to add something into the game that was relevant, something that people are talking about, but at the same time we wanted to make the 3-D accessible to everyone. You don't need a 3-D TV. You don't need expensive glasses. So we partnered with Doritos to figure out the right way to make that happen, and I think it looks great. It adds layering to what we already have. You can toggle it on or off, and I think the cool thing about it is that it's the entire game in 3-D, so I think people will find different things to enjoy about it, from the weather to the stadium effects to the passing game. I'm excited to play a bunch of games in Seattle in the snow and see that stadium with the weather effects."

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NFL quarterbacks were in a generous mood during Week 7. Quarterbacks tossed 29 interceptions Sunday, including four from Drew Brees in a stunning loss for the Saints and three from Brett Favre against his old team in Green Bay. It all added up to some big days for guys like DeAngelo Hall, who picked off all four of Jay Cutler's mistakes. Can you name the active leaders in interceptions thrown?

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Bo Jackson has been laying low for a while, but he never was out of the public consciousness.

He's still revered in mythical terms, he's the star of many YouTube videos and of course, there's the legend of his representation in the Tecmo Bowl video game.

Mike Zarrilli/Getty ImagesBo Jackson watched from the sideline as Auburn scored 65 points against Arkansas on Oct. 16.

"I get a comment about it about once a week," Jackson said of Tecmo Bo.

So, does one of the greatest athletes of all time think it's bizarre that a bunch of middle-aged couch-surfers want to discuss his 8-bit doppleganger with him?

"No, it just lets me know that I still have fans out there, and it lets me know that my peers still remember me and respect me, to be honest," Jackson said. "And whenever they talk about Tecmo Bowl, or anything I do, it makes me feel good."

He even indulges a reporter's heart-wrenching tale of how his copy of Tecmo Bowl was lent to a friend and disappeared forever. Just like the Tecmo Bo we've grown to love, Jackson is unyielding. "Sounds like somebody needs their [expletive] kicked," Jackson said.

Jackson is riding high on the wave of his Auburn Tigers, who just ascended to No. 1 in the new BCS standings. He spoke to the team (and maybe bestowed some of his legend to Cam Newton by holding his hand) on game day when Auburn played Arkansas. He watched the 65-43 victory from the sideline.

What does a legend talk about to his former team?

"I talk about winning. That's all I talk about," he said. "Winning."

Jackson, who recently appeared in a new Nike commercial, appeared at Niketown New York on Friday night to help the company unveil its new Trainer 1.2 shoes, the successors to the original Air Trainer 1 models Jackson endorsed, in his words, "back during the dinosaur days."

He said he's kept a close relationship with the company whose "Bo Knows" campaign made him one of the most famous athletes in the world, and he's happy to come back and take on a more public role again.

"I never left the fold," he said. "I just went on a sabbatical."

"Contraction."

One of its numerous definitions is "a word formed from two or more words by omitting or combining some sounds." Example: "Don't" as in "Don't do away with my team!"

In sports, "contraction" is a frightening word. It's also what we want from you -- suggestions for this week's Top 10 list, namely "Top 10 Teams That Should Be Contracted." Send your best bets for contraction, along with a short reason why, to osogreene@aol.com.

NBA commissioner David Stern opened this dark door for us by discussing the possibility of contraction in his league. Speaking on a media conference call, he said, "The issue of contraction is one that has to be discussed in the context of collective bargaining with the players."

Translation: One way to reduce player salaries is to have fewer players playing for fewer teams.

He also spoke of "cities and teams that cannot make it in the current economic environment."

We all can think of examples of that, right?

And while we thank Stern for the idea, we're looking for any team in any sport -- NFL, colleges, baseball, etc. -- that you think could disappear without hurting its league.

Once again, you have until noon Wednesday to send your suggestion and reason to me at osogreene@aol.com. Include your first name, initial of your last name and your location, especially if you want the glory of being mentioned here. The Top 10 list will run Thursday.

Adam Larkey/ABC/Getty Images"Dancing with the Stars" is nearing the midpoint and Page 2 breaks down the final seven contestants.

Seven contestants, including ex-NFL star Kurt Warner and ex-NBA star Rick Fox, remain in ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" as the 11th season nears the midpoint.

On Monday night, the remaining tandems -- pretty much as expected with five eliminations already -- will do the tango or paso doble and then everyone is doing a rock and roll dance-a-thon.

How will the rest of the season fare? Here are our thoughts:

Likely to survive the next few weeks

Jennifer Grey (and Derek Hough): The favorite before the season began and still the most consistent. They will be one of the finalists.

Brandy (and Maksim Chmerkovskiy): After some rocky moments early in the season, they've worked through their problems and will also be one of the finalists.

"I'm a cardboard box out there, but I love challenges," Brandy said. "I want to win this competition. I haven't won anything in a long time. I know what it would do for my confidence."

Rick Fox (and Cheryl Burke): The size difference seems to work, and if they can hold off the others, they will be in the final three.

Kurt Warner (and Anna Trebunskaya): Surprisingly, they've done well this season, pretty much remaining in the middle of the pack. Warner's popularity is keeping him in the show, so don't count him out.

Likely to be eliminated the next few weeks

Kyle Massey (and Lacey Schwimmer), Audrina Patridge (and Tony Dovolani) and Bristol Palin (and Mark Ballas) have shown moments of success, but we predict their runs will be over shortly.