Mike Singletary has been a trainer, a teacher, a motivational speaker and three-time author since retiring from the Chicago Bears in 1992. On Tuesday, he added “NFL head coach” to his résumé, a title he’s wanted for years but one he admitted was harder to attain than he thought it would be.

Nothing about the Seahawks’ slip-slidin’ away season has gone as expected. But this week, the Seahawks are stepping into another team’s misery as they prepare to face the 49ers in San Francisco. The 49ers’ abrupt firing of coach Mike Nolan on Monday is a situation the Seahawks helped create, and one they eventually could resolve.

All about Al. Understated Al. Entrenched Al. Either description would nicely fit Al Thornton. As expected, the Clippers on Tuesday exercised their third-year contract option on Thornton, who is in his second season with the team.

Neither the Giants or Indians reached the playoffs this season, but it’s not because of Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee. They are Sporting News’ Pitchers of the Year, voted by a panel of 314 major league players.

The World Series has come to the land of cowbells and catwalks, where cownose rays swim in a 10,000-gallon tank above the fence in right-center field. Tropicana Field is home sweet dome to the Tampa Bay Rays, the surprise story of this baseball season.

Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow drew a one-game suspension for his angry comments concerning his treatment by Browns General Manager Phil Savage following Sunday’s 14-11 loss to the Washington Redskins.

It did not look good Monday night when Patriots safety Rodney Harrison dropped to the ground, and it is not. Harrison suffered a season-ending, and potentially career-ending, torn quad muscle.

What happens in Vegas always doesn’t stay in Vegas.

The Celtics yesterday said that NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Paul Pierce would not comment on the early Sunday morning incident during which he was stopped in Las Vegas for “erratic driving.”

In just his third day in the major leagues, Jeff Samardzija pitched the final two innings of a game that gave the Cubs sole possession of first place.

Take that Kerry.