FanHouse SirAlexFerguson

Waking up Thursday morning my inbox was more packed than usual. The words "Ronaldo" and "Real Madrid" featured prominently in subject lines.

Was I still dreaming? Was the other, original Ronaldo making an audacious comeback?

Rubbing the sand out of my eyes, no, it wasn't a dream. Manchester United had agreed for a world-record transfer fee of £80 million ($131M U.S.) for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, thus ending a multi-year flirtation with the Portuguese forward.

Put the champagne on ice, because Manchester United could have the 2008-09 Premier League crown wrapped up before most Americans are awake Saturday morning.

The Red Devils put themselves on the doorstep of their third straight Premier League crown after beating Wigan Athletic 2-1 Wednesday, finally making up the 'game in hand' the club has held seemingly for months. Manchester United now lead second place Liverpool by six points with two games remaining. All Manchester United needs is one point from its two remaining games -- the first coming in the early Saturday morning fixture against rival Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Is it possible Sir Alex Ferguson pressed one of those annoying Staples buttons in the dressing room before Tuesday's UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg against Arsenal because, boy, that sure looked easy. Almost too easy, as the Red Devils strolled to a 3-1 win and 4-1 on aggregate and move onto the final in Rome with the chance to defend their trophy from last season.