Amid a deteriorating economy and a sharp decline in tourism to Hawai'i, tickets to the Pro Bowl haven't been selling as well as previous years, and whether the event will return to Honolulu remains uncertain.

The NFL on Wednesday said the league's all-star game could be blacked out on television in Hawai'i if the roughly 5,000 remaining tickets are not sold 72 hours before the Feb. 8 game. The game has sold out, usually weeks in advance, every year since moving to the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium in 1980.

"Pro Bowls are usually sold out by now. That's why we're particularly concerned," said Frank Supovitz, the NFL's senior vice president of events.

Besides the tourism slowdown and economic woes, Supovitz said some fans may not realize tickets are still available. The cheapest seats available are $45. He's hoping for a rush of sales in the final days.

The Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., had no problems selling out even with ticket prices hitting a record $1,000 apiece. But it is also feeling some of the economic pressures. General Motors and FedEx pulled their TV ads, even though NBC lowered the price of air time.

"The NFL is not immune to the pressures of the economic environment and that's true for all of our events and all of our games," Supovitz said. "So we don't know what the ultimate effect on the Super Bowl will be — whether people will buy a little bit less merchandise or a little less concessions. ... The final results won't be known until after the game is played."

Negotiations continue between the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and the NFL to host future Pro Bowls. A recent proposal by the NFL was rejected by the HTA board.

"It really rests with the HTA," Supovitz said. "If they would like us to be back, we'd like to be back. It's now just a question of the details that are required to come to an agreement."

The NFL already announced the 2010 Pro Bowl will be played in Miami's Dolphin Stadium a week before the Super Bowl. The last time the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl were played in the same city was in 1967, when it was held the week after the title game in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

"It's not a formula we will use every year," Supovitz said. "It's our intent to tour the Pro Bowl periodically and make sure Hawai'i is in the rotation."

He said both sides want the Pro Bowl to return to Hawai'i and were hopeful a deal would be reached.

SUPER BOWL

PROPOSITION BETS GIVE MORE REASON TO CHEER

When it comes to the Super Bowl, every little detail warrants a wager.

Will the player who scores the first touchdown in Sunday's big game have a jersey number higher than 38? Who will catch a pass first: Arizona's Anquan Boldin or Pittsburgh's Hines Ward? Will Kurt Warner complete his first pass?

Many bettors watching the Super Bowl from Las Vegas this weekend will have money riding on much more than the outcome. Seemingly inane details such as the distance of the first field goal or whether the first score is a touchdown pass or run can be as important as the final score.

Proposition bets — prop bets, for short — let gamblers put money on just about every game situation possible and give bettors reasons to root during each play.

"From the coin toss until the final play of the game, there's some prop being decided," said Jay Kornegay, executive director of the Las Vegas Hilton's race and sports. "It might seem like a meaningless play, but here in Vegas there's some money riding on that 2-yard carry."

The bets can be downright zany. For example, the Hilton offers 9,999-1 odds on the Steelers scoring 4 points for the entire game against the Cardinals. Sure, it's possible, but only if Pittsburgh manages two safeties.

PRO BOWL

BILLS' RB LYNCH WILL REPLACE TITANS' JOHNSON

Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch is headed to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for Tennessee's Chris Johnson.

Lynch finished fifth in the AFC with 1,036 yards rushing and ninth with eight touchdown runs in 15 games this season. Lynch was named a first alternate when the Pro Bowl selections were made last month, and replaces Johnson, who's unable to play because of an ankle injury.

Buffalo's 2007 first-round draft pick out of California, Lynch will become the first Bills running back to reach the Pro Bowl since Travis Henry in 2002. Lynch will be the team's lone representative at the game to be played Feb. 8 at Honolulu after left tackle Jason Peters bowed out due to a knee injury.

BUCCANEERS

EX-BOSTON COLLEGE COACH JAGODZINSKI HIRED

Three weeks after being dismissed by Boston College for pursuing an NFL head coaching job, Jeff Jagodzinski was hired yesterday by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be their offensive coordinator.

Jagodzinski, who led Boston College to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in each of his two seasons, was fired Jan. 7 after being told he would be let go if he interviewed for the New York Jets' coaching vacancy.

He went on the interview despite the ultimatum and was fired the next day. The Jets job eventually went to Rex Ryan.

Jagodzinski also was a candidate to be the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator before accepting the job with the Bucs, who fired coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen two weeks ago.

Raheem Morris, who at 32 is the youngest head coach in the NFL, succeeded Gruden and hired Bill Bates as his defensive coordinator last week. The Bucs also announced the hiring yesterday of Pete Mangurian as offensive line coach.

Despite the 45-year-old's success at Boston College, athletic director Gene DeFilippo didn't hesitate to fire Jagodzinski after telling the coach he would do so if he met with the Jets, who were searching for a replacement to Eric Mangini.