Big Shots for December 22, 2009

Another busy week in the sports world unfolded and I'm struggling to keep up. In addition to this week's regular post, I'll try to give you a look at the South East Asian Games from Vientiane, Laos and the soccer Club World Cup from the United Arab Emirates. And on Thursday I'll bring you part three (of four) of the 100 Best Sports Photographs of 2009 series. ( 28 photos total)

Santa and his myriad minions have many sporting guises to check who's been naughty or nice, including (clockwise from top left) a taekwondo student in Suining, China, shopping racers in Lima, a jet skier on the Rhine River in Duesseldorf, and reindeer in the Santa Speedo Race in Boston. (REUTERS/Stringer) (REUTERS/Enrique Castro-Mendivil) (REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay) (David Ryan/Globe Staff)

A winter swimmer braves icy water at a park in Shenyang, China December 8. (REUTERS/Sheng Li) #

Dutch skaters compete on an ice rink in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands December 16. (VINCENT JANNINK/AFP/Getty Images) #

With horse racing in Britain badly hit by the severe winter weather , the gallops at Middleham, England took on a Christmas card look as the Pennines, a low rising mountain range surrounding the gallops, were covered with deep snow December 21. (AP Photo/John Giles/PA Wire) #

Fly-surfer Peter Mueller rides the winds on the snowy mountains of the Bernina Pass near St. Moritz, Switzerland December 17. (AP Photo/Keystone/Dietmar Stiplovsek) #

Bode Miller races during the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup giant slalom December 20 in Alta Badia, Italy. (Francis Bompard/Agence Zoom/Getty Images) #

Germany's Kati Wilhelm competes in the Biathlon World Cup women's 7.5km sprint in Pokljuka, Slovenia December 19. (REUTERS/Srdjan Zivulovic) #

Competitors start off in the 15km Classic at the FIS Cross Country World Cup race in Rogla, Slovenia December 20. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) #

Canada's Lyndon Rush, Chris Le Bihan, Dan Humphries and Lascelles Brown crash at the finish of the four-man bobsleigh World Cup competition in Altenberg, Germany December 20. (REUTERS/David W Cerny) #

A skier trains ahead of the Val Gardena World Cup Downhill December 16. (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images) #

Extremes of weather can't stop fans from supporting their teams at an NFL football game in Philadelphia (left) and a cricket match at the Supersport Park in Centurion, South Africa. (REUTERS/Tim Shaffer) (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) #

A man places cricket bats between tracks on the railway to dry after they were cut and painted in a saw mill in Koralawella, Sri Lanka December 14. Koralawella is a small town on the west coast of Sri Lanka, and the main source of income for many residents is saw mill work and related activities. (REUTERS/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds) #

Competitors perform during a Ukrainian bodybuilder competition in Kiev December 5. (REUTERS/Konstantin Chernichkin) #

Cambridge's 'Sauerkraut' crew rows during the The Xchanging Boat Race Trial 8's race day on the River Thames December 17 in London. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) #

A supporter of FC Copenhagen reacts after his team defeated Sparta in their Europa League soccer match in Prague December 16. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) #

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano gets doused by his team after they defeated Central Florida in the St. Petersburg Bowl college football game December 19 in St. Petersburg. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) #

The Cleveland Cavaliers' Jamario Moon (left) is fouled by the New Jersey Nets' Devin Harris during an NBA basketball game December 15 in Cleveland. (AP Photo/The Plain Dealer/Joshua Gunter) #

Germany's Susann Muller aims a shot during a handball match against Angola at the Women's World Championships in Yangzhou December 15. (PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images) #

Copacabana Piratas' Igor (right) runs with the ball during the Carioca Bowl 2009 final beach football game at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro December 20. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) #

India's Dinesh Karthik dives to catch a ball off Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene's bat during their third one day international cricket match in Cuttack, India December 21. (AP Photo/Bikas Das) #

Ma Long of China hits a return against Timo Boll of Germany in the final at the Tournament of Champions table tennis tournament in Changsha, China December 20. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) #

Russia's Svetlana Sleptsova competes during the women 10km pursuit at the biathlon World Cup in Pokljuka, Slovenia December 20. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) #

Mixing pleasure and business, Vince Carter of the Orlando Magic (left) and Carl Landry of the Houston Rockets use body language during separate NBA basketball games last week. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) #

Penn State players celebrate the team's win over Texas in the NCAA college volleyball national championship match December 19 in Tampa. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson) #

Good sportsmanship takes it on the chin as Riley Cote of the Philadelphia Flyers (left) and Eric Godard of the Pittsburgh Penguins fight during an NHL game at the Mellon Arena December 15 in Pittsburgh. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) #

The San Diego Chargers' Kris Wilson (right) loses his helmet as the Cincinnati Bengals' Chinedum Ndukwehe makes a tackle during an NFL football game December 20 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy) #

FC Porto's Rolando Fonseca challenges a Benfica player in a Portuguese League soccer match at Benfica's Luz Stadium in Lisbon December 20. (AP Photo/Paulo Duarte) #

FC Porto's Helton becomes enveloped in fireworks smoke and falling rain at the start of their Portuguese League soccer match with Benfica December 20 at Benfica's Luz stadium in Lisbon. (AP Photo/Armando Franca) #