FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Home sweet home. Sure works for the Patriots in the AFC title game. New England gets a chance to extend its mastery in the final step to the Super Bowl on Sunday against Baltimore, the team the Patriots beat a year ago for the conference crown. That win made them 4-0 in home conference title games. Although they were more vulnerable at home than usual during the 2012 regular season, losing to Arizona and San Francisco and having tight games with Buffalo and the Jets, the Patriots (13-4) are happy not to be heading to Baltimore (12-6) this weekend. Or anywhere else. "Everything is on deck," Patriots Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vince Wilfork said. "You have to put everything you have into this game. If you lose you go home, plain and simple." But the Patriots are at home, where theyve been beaten in early-round games, including against the Ravens 33-14 three years ago. At this stage, though, no way. That success rate for the AFC championship doesnt fool Wilfork into feeling complacent. Just the opposite. "This team always plays us tough," Wilfork added. "This team has been in the playoffs on the road and won a lot of games. They won here in the playoffs. We have to be able to prepare well and execute very well at a high level. I dont think we can (leave) no stone unturned in this game, because if we do it could cost us." The Patriots are one of the NFLs best home teams, going 73-15 since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002, including 10-2 in the post-season. Many of those games have been routs. But the Ravens are 8-5 in road playoffs, including their upset of the Broncos in double overtime last Saturday in an equally tough venue. And theres no reason to fear a trip to Foxborough, where no one has fared better in the playoffs. Last January, they were an incompletion in the end zone in the final minute -- Sterling Moore stripped the ball from Lee Evans after the Ravens receiver had both hands on it -- from winning. And then they botched a 32-yard field goal that would have forced overtime. "These are two of the top teams for a long time now and we know each other very well," Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis said. "Its that chess match; they are going to make plays and we are going to. Its always one play here or there and who makes the last play will win. It will always be a 60-minute game." Thats something Lewis revels in as he makes a final run for a second championship before retiring when the Ravens are done. "Both sides understand the game of football," he said. "There have been some great, great rivalries and we have one of those going on with New England now." Baltimore won at home 31-30 in Week 3, which seems like eons ago. The Ravens were contending for the AFCs top seed until losing four of their last five. That dropped them out of a bye position, too, which New England grabbed. But the Ravens beat Indianapolis at home in the wild-card round, then stunned Denver. "I think you always want to play at home. We want to play at home. Weve got great fans and its a great atmosphere," Ravens centre Matt Birk said. "Id say its certainly an advantage, but thats the way it is. Ultimately its not going to decide the outcome of the game. Whoever plays better, more fundamentally sound football is going to win the game." Overall, the Ravens are 2-7 vs. New England, including 1-5 at Foxborough. Their defeats in five of the last six meetings were by a combined 16 points. Wilfork doesnt care about history, recent or otherwise. "This is going to be a battle," he said. "Both teams deserve to be at this level. You have the two best teams in the AFC playing. "It just goes to show you the consistency of these teams. Every year it always seems like we are in it and they are in it and it just comes down to a couple of plays during the season or a couple of games in the season for these two ballclubs. For us we just have to be ready to go for 60 minutes; sometimes even more than that, as we saw last week. They went against a football team in Denver and they went out there and played more than 60 minutes. They came out on top, so that says a lot about how tough this football team is." Unlike some other potential visitors to New England, any weather issues wont bother the Ravens, either. Hey, after subzero wind chill numbers at Denver last weekend, Baltimore will consider just about anything balmy. The oddsmakers believe the home-field advantage is substantial for the Patriots, who are 9-point favourites. Theyll gladly accept those points before kickoff. "Its good that we get to stay home, but once you get out there on the field, you have two teams going at it, all playing for one common goal," Patriots safety Devin McCourty said. "I dont care where you play; its not going to change how one team comes out. Just because youre at home doesnt mean youre going to be more prepared than the team thats on the road. "I think the team were playing now shows that. Theyve won a lot of road playoff games over the last couple years, so I dont think the home-field advantage will really be that much of a difference as far as since were at home were going to win. "But as a player, you always love playing in front of your fans." cheap nfl jerseys china . Theyre hoping he will be all right. But the usually jovial attitude inside the Colts locker room turned serious whenever the topic turned to Collie and his history of head injuries. wholesale jerseys . The sixth-seed from Thornhill, Ont., wrapped up his 83-minute victory with a 10th ace to advance after playing last week in Bangkok and reaching the quarter-finals. http://www.wholesalejerseysamerica... . Samuel opened the final round of the Royale Cup Canadian Womens Senior Championship with a double bogey but recovered with six birdies to shoot 3-under par 71. [url=http://www.wholesalejerseysamerican.com/]cheap jerseys from china .A. Happ, infielder Emilio Bonifacio and catcher Josh Thole. Happ and Bonifacio signed one-year deals worth US$3. wholesale nfl jersey .Y. -- The New York Islanders suspended newly acquired defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky on Friday for failing to report to the team for the start of the NHL season. HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros are leaving their old look behind as they prepare for their move to the American League in 2013. But the new uniform design, unveiled on Friday night, ties in some of the history of the franchise founded in 1962. The new look coincides with Houstons move from the National League Central to the American League West for next season. "I think its clean and tight," team owner Jim Crane said. "Its got a little history in it and its got some of the flashback stuff. I think it really looks good. I like the colours and were excited about it." Portions of the new design were leaked several different times in the past week, but Crane wasnt too upset about that on Friday. "It was a little frustrating, but it might have helped, who knows," he said. "It got a little data out there in front and got a little excitement going. All publicity is good publicity, I guess." The new duds were introduced at a fashion show at Minute Maid Park where several Astros players and prospects in Houstons minor league system modeled them. "The colours are a lot of fun," Houston outfielder Justin Maxwell said. "I think the fans will definitely like the new energy that the new uniforms and new league will bring this year." The colour scheme is the same used from 1962-93. Theyre also using the logo from that era -- an orange star with a white H in front of it. That logo in various colour combinations will be on the hats. All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve beamed as he showed off his new uniform. "Its kind of old with kind of new," he said. "Its a good combination and I really like it." There are four uniforms and three hats. Houston will wear white uniforms with orange piping at home, and grey ones with blue piping on the road. Theres an orange alternate jersey with blue piping that can be worn at home or on the road.dddddddddddd They also incorporated popular rainbow print, which was worn in variations from 1975-1993 in the new design. The Astros have a blue batting practice jersey with rainbow print down the side that will also be worn for Sunday games. "Theres a good variety," general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "The colours harken back to what were all about, the star and the H. Its a great time to be unveiling a terrific concept." Players and fans seemed to like the rainbow design best. "A lot of our fans appreciate that," Maxwell said. "You always see a lot of fans breaking those old rainbow colours out." Carlos Correa, a shortstop who was taken with the first overall pick in this years draft, was among the minor leaguers modeling the uniforms. "Im really excited about being in this new uniform, and I hope to be playing in the big leagues soon," he said. Houston also shed its Junction Jack rabbit mascot and returned to a redesigned green space creature called Orbit. He was Houstons mascot from 1990-99. About 5,000 fans attended the event, which ended with a funny skit of Orbit crash landing and NASA people bringing him into the ballpark in an SUV with dark tinted windows. The loudest applause of the night came when he ran through the crowd high-fiving fans. Luhnow enjoyed the event, but was already looking ahead at ways to improve this team, which is coming off its second straight 100-loss season. "This is a great milestone for us, but weve got a lot of work to do," he said. Starting pitcher Lucas Harrell thinks the uniforms could be a good way to help the team move forward and put the last two tough seasons behind it. "Its a fresh start," he said. "The slates clean for everybody." ' ' '