Late last summer, London bookmakers were offering 2-to-1 odds Manchester United would retain the BPL title and meagre 1-to-14 odds they would finish in amongst the Champions League spots. Not sure any bookies were offering odds that, deep into the business end of the season, Liverpool would be placing job ads related to a victory parade the club are planning to possibly stage the day after the season ends. For those who recollect the quite extraordinary city scenes the day after Liverpool had beaten AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League Final when a reported 750,000 people lined the route as an open top bus carrying the European champions made its way from John Lennon Airport to City Hall, these arent the type of events you leave to chance. Even the Queen got in on the act then, as she sent the club her congratulations from Edmonton on the last day of her Canadian tour. A bus of an entirely different nature may have derailed Liverpools title bid after their club record equalling 11-game winning streak grinded to a rather abrupt halt last Sunday, but there can be no denying Liverpools rightful place at the head table - that Champions League virtuous circle more commonly referred to as the "top four." Having finished last season in a very distant seventh place, the turnaround at Liverpool has been nothing short of remarkable and especially when you consider the spending power and superior squad strengths of their title rivals. With Champions League football assured for next season, the target Brendan Rodgers set out with last August, making it all that more special their place back amongst the elite of English football, has come at the expense of their bitter rivals Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson may have preached patience for the incoming manager to the 75,000 in attendance at Old Trafford at his final home game last May, but how about the patience of the Anfield faithful who have waited almost a quarter of a century since their last championship triumph? Although the Chelsea reversal last week handed the initiative to Manchester City, that disappointment pales into insignificance when recalling how the 1989 title was decided. Arsenal not only had to go to Anfield on the last day of the 1989 season and win, but they had to do so by a two-goal advantage. With 90 minutes on the clock and Arsenal leading 1-0 the title was Liverpools. Then, with time running out in added time, up popped Arsenals Michael Thomas to score the decisive goal. Seconds later came the final whistle, as Liverpool players lay completely distraught on the hallowed Anfield turf. Arsenal celebrated, the Kop, for once, in stunned silence. How cruel the beautiful game can be. No victory parades will be staged for the clubs who escape the dreaded drop going into the penultimate weekend of the season, with even FA Cup finalists Hull all the way up in 13th place not safe yet. Following a run of five-straight defeats that firmly rooted Sunderland to the foot of the table in mid-April, it led to questions been asked if Gus Poyet, who had only replaced Paolo Di Canio in October, would resign before seasons end. But my how the club have responded, most famously taking Jose Mourinhos unbeaten BPL home record, earlier this year. On Friday, 21-year old striker Connor Wickham was named BPL player of the month for April, his five goals playing a huge part as the club moved out of the bottom three for the first time since February. With a game in hand against the teams below them, Sunderland control their own destiny. Norwich, Fulham and Cardiff will need help from others this weekend. With the possibility that top place could change hands three times between tomorrow and Monday afternoon when Liverpool play, the real prospect exists come the final game of the season next Sunday that three clubs will still be in contention for the title. This would be the first time this has occurred in the BPL-era and, in doing so, will plunge the league into a silverware crisis. As there are only two BPL trophies in existence and, as traditionally the trophy is handed out on the last day of the season, a trophy will be needed next Sunday at Anfield, the Etihad and in Cardiff where Chelsea plays. So come the final whistle between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Monday afternoon, the Premier League may have to put a call and a delicate request into Old Trafford, where, sitting resplendent in their trophy room, a replica BPL trophy exists. Any chance you can deliver it to Anfield please? You can reach and follow Noel Butler at:Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter Addison Russell Cubs Jersey . Millsap will miss Wednesday nights game against the Chicago Bulls. The Hawks say Millsap also will be held out on Thursday at Boston. Sammy Sosa Jersey . American Lindsey Jacobellis was third, while Japans Yuka Fujimori finished just off the podium. Maltais, from Petite-Riviere-St-Francois, Que., earned bronze at the 2006 Olympic Games and is set to return to the Games this February in Sochi, Russia. http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-fergie-jenkins-jersey/. The International Ice Hockey Federation says Pavlovs avoided a two-year sanction because he acted "without significant negligence in failing to verify the safety of the supplements he was taking. Greg Maddux Jersey .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Colts by 5RECORD VS. SPREAD — Cincinnati 8-8, Indianapolis 11-5SERIES RECORD — Colts lead 18-10LAST MEETING — Colts beat Bengals 27-0, Oct. Ryne Sandberg Cubs Jersey . -- Joe Thornton scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:39 left in regulation to help the San Jose Sharks overcome a two-goal deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Thursday night.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When Michael Jordan speaks, people still listen. The Charlotte Bobcats owner praised his team during a pregame locker room speech Friday night, but warned his players its only going to get tougher from here on out. Jordan spoke directly about the Bobcats potentially making the playoffs -- something that seemed inconceivable five months ago for a team that was 7-59 and 21-61 the previous two seasons. "He talked to them about the progress that he had seen and praised them for their attitude and togetherness as a team," coach Steve Clifford said. "And he let them know, which I thought was perfect, the toughest part is ahead. We made our first step and it now gets tougher. It was a great message." A message that apparently inspired the Bobcats, currently seventh in the Eastern Conference. Al Jefferson scored 28 points, Kemba Walker had 20 points and 14 assists, and the Bobcats (29-33) defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-92 for their sixth straight win at home, surpassing their win total from the previous two seasons combined. It was an important win for the Bobcats, who improved to 3-0 this season against the Cavaliers and now own the tiebreaker against both Detroit and Cleveland, the ninth- and 10th-place teams in the East. "If that dont motivate you, I dont know what will," Jefferson said of Jordan addressing the team. Clifford said he asked Jordan to speak to the players before the game and he gladly accepted the invitation. He said players were "locked in" to every word Jordan spoke. "Lets face it, if youre coaching anywhere, he would be the first guy that you would say, Would you mind coming to talk to our team?" Clifford said. "Im saying hes our owner and, shoot, you are always looking for a little edge. I thought it was perfect." Said Jefferson: "He told us he was proud of us, but we have a long way to go. We cant be happy with what we have done so far. We have to continue to grow and get better." It was a huge loss for Cleveland. Dion Waiters and Luol Deng each scored 19 points for the Cavaliers, who began the night 3 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the East. They now trail Charlotte by 5 1/2 games. "It hurts," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Especially knowing where were sitting and where theyre sittingg right now, its a tough loss.dddddddddddd" Jefferson shot 12 of 18 from the field and reached 20 points for the 22nd time in his last 24 games. Chris Douglas-Roberts added 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and a season-high nine rebounds. Charlottes six-game home winning streak is its longest since a seven-game run in March 2010. "There are 20 games left and its time to start talking about the playoffs -- about not just qualifying but getting our team game-ready for the playoffs and guys getting their individual games ready," Clifford said. The Bobcats defeated the Cavaliers by six points in each of the two previous meetings this season without Jefferson, who sat out both games with a sprained ankle. Jefferson had 38 points against Miami and 34 in a win over Indiana this week, and was a big factor from the outset against the Cavaliers. He used a series of pump fakes and up-and-under moves to fool the Cavaliers, and continued to knock down his mid-range jump shot. The 6-foot-10 centre scored 18 points in the first half on 8-of-10 shooting to help Charlotte build a 55-50 lead at the break despite the Cavaliers shooting 55 per cent from the field. Cleveland took an 81-80 lead on a pair of free throws by Waiters with 7 minutes left in the game. But Walker matched that with two free throws of his own and knocked down a jumper to spark a 15-5 run that put Charlotte safely ahead. The Cavaliers shot just 32 per cent in the second half, and Charlotte held Kyrie Irving to 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Irving came in averaging 24.5 points in his previous four games in Charlotte. Waiters said its not too late for the Cavaliers to make a playoff push. But theyll need to play much better than they did Friday night. "We have a chance and a shot, so why not? Why not us?" Waiters said. "Weve got to have a sense of urgency. The clock is ticking. The games are running out. Making the playoffs is right there and weve got a great opportunity." NOTES: Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson missed his third straight game with a right calf strain. ... Anderson Varejao (back) and C.J. Miles (ankle) were back at practice this week but didnt make the trip to Charlotte, which meant Spencer Hawes and Tristan Thompson were left to defend Jefferson. ... Josh McRoberts added 11 points and seven assists for the Bobcats. ' ' '