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TOP STORIES - JULY 6, 2007 Get your NFL football tickets now at TickCo. They have all team Cardinals tickets, Cowboys tickets, Packers tickets, Colts tickets, Patriots tickets, Titans tickets and more. Get your Super Bowl tickets here! COUNTDOWN TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL: This is an ongoing countdown of the Top-50 Division I teams heading into the 2007 season: #50 Central Michigan | #49 Kansas St. | #48 Arizona | #47 Cincinnati | #46 Michigan St. | #45 BYU | #44 Texas Tech | #43 Iowa | #42 Georgia Tech | #41 Wake Forest | #40 Purdue | #39 Maryland | #38 Kentucky | #37 Alabama | #36 Missouri | #35 Oklahoma St. | #34 Oregon St. | #33 TCU | #32 Oregon | #31 Notre Dame | #30 South Florida | #29 South Carolina | #28 Arizona St. | #27 Boise St. | #26 Clemson CHAD SPOUTS OUT ON INTERNET GAMBLING BAN: The best points of Norm's column is what he had in parenthesis - 48 states have some form of lottery and/or other gaming revenues, and refers to Wall Street as the world's biggest gambling hall. But Norm also believes that on-line poker will yet fall victim to a massive cheating scandal. Too many unsavory types who happen to know things about computers will (and do) know how to get an edge. I totally agree with the last point, I'm sure it happens now. Some might feel that Norm might be self-serving in his article, but he was a made man long before the ESPN poker commentary gig came up. TROUBLED EX-GATOR FOUND DEAD: Former Florida and Bethune-Cookman football player Avery Atkins was found dead in his car in the garage in what police call a suspicious death. Atkins was a freshman cornerback on the 2005 Gators and was projected to start in 2006. Atkins was released from his scholarship after being charged with the first of what would eventually be two domestic battery charges. Atkins re-enrolled at Florida this spring and was hoping to walk-on to the football squad, but in just the last two months Atkins made the blotter numerous times. Just earlier this week Atkins was charged with possession of crack cocaine, and was also arrested last month when police found him with cocaine, drug paraphernalia and a concealed weapon. Atkins was was charged in May with felony aggravated battery. MRS. TIGER WENT IN THE HOSPITAL ON THURSDAY: Now we find out that Elin had to be admitted with complications during the first round of the U.S. Open - the doctor and Elin both tell Tiger 'There's nothing you can do, so go out there and just get a 'W'' Well Tiger almost got the 'W', but the bigger question is what Tiger would had done had there been an 18-hole Monday playoff. When asked that Woods wisely responded that it is 'hypothetical' and that he wasn't going to go down that road. Meanwhile the USGA feels that Angel Cabrera, or Payne Stewart in 1999 - would had made a sportsmanlike gesture and not show up for the playoff neither. STILL WANTING OUT OF MILWAUK-YI??? Yao Ming urges countryman Yi Jianlian to hold talks with Bucks amidst an already contentious standoff. Bucks owner senator Herb Kohl (perhaps already panicked) has also fired off a letter to Yi in an effort to 'reach out'. Yi's management team is reportedly seeking to broker a trade that could get Yi out of Milwaukee and possibly to the Golden State Warriors. Larry Harris has to be fit to be tied right now - choosing between Yi (who hinted at not wanting to play in Milwaukee), and Joakim Noah (who also hinted at not wanting to play in Milwaukee), talk about getting a heaping helping of disrespect.  MILWAUKEE ACTUALLY GOOD FIT?? Owner of popular Chinese sports bar not happy with Yi not giving city a chance, saying 'It does kind of make me mad'FIVE DAYS, FIVE SETS, FIVE RAIN DELAYS - AND STILL FIRING VOLLEYS: The match was supposed to start Saturday, didn't start until Monday, and finally finished on Wednesday. And when it was over Rafael Nadal was still not done with Robin Soderling at Wimbledon. Nadal calls out Soderling for everything from not asking if he was OK after falling or apologizing after hitting lucky netcords to mimicking Soderling's habit of pulling up his pants. Nadal finally finishes by saying that Soderling is 'not the best guy in the locker room'. Sounds more like a poker game than a tennis match. On the women's side, Maria Sharapova's run ends at the hands of Venus Williams while Serena Williams on one leg was no match for top-seed Justine Henin. BREWERS - AND THE PITTSBURGH CURSE: The date was June 24, 2001 - the Brewers had just scored an improbable sweep over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, and were soaring with a 38-34 record heading into a four-game series in Pittsburgh, with thoughts of making a run at the National League's wild card races suddenly a possibility. To celebrate the occasion players including the likes of Curtis Leskanic, Allen Levrault, Chad Fox, and Jamey Wright (and his 5.15 career ERA, 1.60 career WHIP) decided to break out a wardrobe-full of outrageously loud suits for the team's charter to the Steel City. Alas, the team loses all four games in Pittsburgh and proceeded to go the rest of the season 30-60, a prelude to 2002's 56-106 disaster. Now fast-forward to 2007, the Brewers leave Chicago for Pittsburgh with a 6 1/2 game lead in the NL Central, and looking good heading into the All-Star break with the second-division Pirates and Nationals on the horizon. But as usual, the Brewers are stinking it up at PNC Park losing two of the first three games, including a four-error debacle on Tuesday. But Ned tells us fans to keep an even keel while he probably plays Tony Graffinino at first base Thursday. My apologies for going bi-polar on this team. And is it just me or are there six Jack Wilson's on the infield???  MORE WARDROBE IDEAS FOR C-ROD??? Two days after the most infamous Tank who never played for the Chicago Bears appears at Yankee stadium, ideas flood in on other clothing articles that could show up in Cynthia Rodriguez's closet. I imagine there are additional colorful clothing ideas that could appear at Fenway Park the next time the Yankees play there.NASCAR TO 'RAMP UP' CHEATING PENALTIES: Feeling that even 100-point deductions might not be enough, NASCAR looking into the possibility of suspending drivers for future violations involving the Car of Tomorrow. NASCAR is also looking into reports that suspended crew chiefs Tony Eury Jr, Steve LeTarte, and Chad Knaus were on the property of New Hampshire International Speedway last weekend and that LeTarte even participated in Jeff Gordon's driver meeting. KYLE PETTY IN-CAR 'COMMENTARY' NOT GOOD IDEA: TNT signed active driver Kyle Petty as a color analyst for their six-week NASCAR Cup package, allowing Petty to drive AND provide commentary during last weeks race at Sonoma. First off, a road course isn't the best choice for a 'color analyst' to also drive. A bad idea became even worse when Petty was involved in an incident during the races early laps, allowing Kyle to spout out a profanity for all of America to hear. NASCAR cracks down on everything else but not driving and doing TV work at the same time. BREWER FANS FOAMED ABOUT WRIGLEY BILLBOARD: Miller Brewing Company found itself in PR damage control mode on Monday regarding baseball fans in the corporations hometown feeling that they've been turned on. It's all over signage that appeared over an apartment building near the right field foul pole at Wrigley Field during this past weekends Brewers/Cubs series. The sign simply read 'We Prefer A Pennant Chase To a Sausage Race'. Considering that Miller Brewing holds the signage rights to Miller Park, Milwaukee fans (and there were plenty of them at Wrigley) were not amused. A spokesman explained that the signage is changed to be specific to whomever the Cubs happen to be playing, and that the Milwaukee reference was done simply to 'create chatter'. The spokesman went on to add that due to the negative response that the sign will probably not appear the next time the Brewers play in Wrigley (late August). The spokesman then adds that the corporation is behind the Brewers '105 percent' and feels that the team has a great chance to 'go all the way'. JAY MARIOTTI PILES ON MILWAUKEE: Says town north of the border is basically 'Dubuque with running water, a Friday Fish Fry and a couple of more bulldozers.' Also adds that the Brewers haven't done anything since the days of Laverne and Shirley and referenced Yi Jianlian's apparent reluctance to play for the Bucks amidst agent's fears that the mass-marketed phenom might be forced to wear a cheesehead hat or something. Now for my opinion about Chicago, toll roads, parking gridlock, etc.???KYLE BUSCH LATEST HENDRICK DRIVER BUSTED: The #5 was among two cars which failed postrace inspection at New Hampshire. The #5 (which finished 11th) along with the #70 of Johnny Sauter (finished 14th) were both taken to NASCAR's R & D facility for additional analysis. A NASCAR spokesman stressed that unlike recent violations involving Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon, this did not involve the integrity of the Car of Tomorrow, so any punishment handed out is likely to be not as severe. AN F-BOMB, BY A-ROD'S BLONDE!!! The wife of Alex Rodriguez makes the front page of the New York Post for wearing an obscene tank top at a game over the weekend. A common two-word profanity ending with 'you' was CLEARLY visible when Cynthia Rodriguez, her 2-year-old daughter and an unidentified older woman took their seats in the players' family section. Stadium policy prohibits banners or signs that not in 'good taste' and also warns that security guards will eject any guests 'using foul language' or 'making obscene gestures.'  SEATTLE STUNNER - MANAGER RESIGNS: A veteran manager decides to call it quits because he's 'lost his passion'. If I told you that would to happen today, your first guess might be either Phil Garner, Joe Torre, or someone perhaps fed up with a losing record. Seattle's Mike Hargrove would be nowhere on the radar - but yet Hargrove intends to call it quits after 16 years as a MLB manager following Seattle's game today. It's stunning enough that the Mariners open play at 44-33 and just one game out of the AL Wild Card, even more of a head scratcher when you consider that the team has won seven straight, the franchises longest winning streak in four year.TIGER WOODS PROPERTY BURNS DOWN: A beachside home recently purchased by Tiger Woods was destroyed by fire after being struck by lightning. The former owner was still living on the property, but was not home when the fire broke out. The beach house was part of a property that Woods paid $38 million for in January 2006. NFL PLAYER CITES RACISM IN RECENT CHARGE: You hear this come up on occasion, especially considering an overwhelming majority of NFL players who have a scrape with the law are black. But there seems to be something with this particular story. Carolina Panthers reserve guard D'Anthony Batiste says his recent arrest on a weapons charge may have been racially motivated. Now normally carrying a weapon would sound like a legitimate charge, but it turns out that Batiste used to be a deputy in Louisiana, and that the gun found was his service weapon. Officers searched Bastiste's car after pulling him over for a window tint violation. A judge threw out the case saying that the initial violation was improperly used as a pretext to searching the car. Batiste did also get cited for not updating his driver's license after moving from Louisiana, a $110 fine. Don't know if I'd call race a factor but sounds like he did have a definite case.  EARL CAMPBELL CAMPAIGNS FOR BETTER DEALS FOR RETIRED PLAYERS: If you've followed his story the past few years, you know he has been a hurting puppy. Campbell says his many physical ailments nowadays is more about bad genetics than a battering ram of a running back who in the end may of taken too much of a beating. Campbell has also battled panic attacks since his career ended, and even once appeared on a spot talking about how Xanax had helped him - that was back in 1991. Campbell appeared at a function in Austin in which several past Heisman winners were in attendence including Tony Dorsett, Archie Griffin, and George Rogers. Griffin and Dorsett look like they could almost suit up now, although TD says he does feel that after-effects of a decade-plus long career. Rogers meanwhile says that he can barely lift his shoulders these days. As far as Campbell is concerned, he says he is in decent shape financially - he says in part because had the Mrs. handle his money - but also realizes many other retired football players are far less fortunate. YI-KES, JIANLIAN WANTS NO PART OF MILWAUKEE!!! For those hoping that Yi would 'warm up' to the idea of playing in Milwaukee during the dead of winter, DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH. A published report this morning says that behind the scenes Yi's agents are indeed seeking a trade to get their client away from the Bucks, with one agent saying 'We feel that the Bucks are not the best fit for Yi Jianlian'. Officially, Yi has only stated that he only did not fly to Milwaukee after the draft so he could work out with the Chinese national team. Some reports had suggested that Yi would refuse to ever travel to Wisconsin (other than showing up as a member of an opposing team) and, if no deal was done, Yi would instead return to the Chinese Basketball Association rather than beginning his NBA career - turning down millions for each year he decided on that tact. YANKS RELIEVER TORCHES GEAR!!! There it is ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning - really. Yankees bullpen stinks it up in 7-0 loss that also featured the offense being held to all of one hit. Afterwards, reliever Scott 'Headhunter' Proctor decided he had enough, and decided to torch his equipment in front of the Yankee clubhouse. Burn Proctor burn. BONDS CALLS FOR BETTER SECURITY: A guy visiting from North Dakota simply just wanted to meet Barry Bonds during the Giants game Friday night, not long after the man needed a bail bonds, as he was whisked by security and of course arrested. At least give him points for looking totally in palce in Frisco. Speaking to a group of reporters today, Bonds says security should be improved for all players, noting that players are employees and should be protected. The Giants promise a change in security detail, and that the changes 'will be pretty evident' - the first of which is probably firing the guard assigned to the area where Dakota Dude gained access.BEST-OF-NINE WORLD SERIES??? Super-agent Scott Boras opens idea of expanding World Series to a best-of-nine format, the first two games being held at a neutral site - a potential windfall with cities bidding to host the opening of the annual event and creating a cash windfall. I would expect the Division Series to go to best-of-seven first, expand the World Series and we might get to finish up on Thanksgiving night. NFL EUROPA CASHES OUT: Did anyone notice the subtle name change this year - the league got about as much attention stateside that it might as well been played on one of Jupiter's moons. Starting as the World League of American Football in the early 1990's (anyone remember the Orlando Thunder and their fluorescent uniforms??), NFLE had a six-team format in recent years, with five of the franchises based in Germany - a couple of which played in new retractable-roof stadiums which were built for soccer's World Cup. Although the games didn't receive much local media coverage, they did draw decent crowds - including 45,000 for last week's championship game. Fans noted a much friendlier atomsphere than the often hard-core soccer audiences. However bottom line from commissioner Roger Goodell is that he'd rather focus on bringing regular season games to Europe at this point. Although hailed as a league that gave quarterbacks such as Kurt Warner and Jake Delhomme a place where they could cut their teeth, the idea of the developmental league was offset somewhat by allocated players coming to NFL training camp already banged up by a 10-11 game NFLE season. So instead of having a home team to root for, Germans are now going to have to wait instead for a NFL regular season game to come by every few years. PIRATE FANS PLAN TO WALK THE PLANK: Fed up with their team on pace for a 15th consecutive losing season, Pittsburgh Pirate fans are planning a staged walkout after the third inning of Saturday night's home game. Sounds a little silly, does the team really care after you've already paid for the ticket??? But there's a little more to the story, according to rotoworld.com message board posts from fans discussing the walkout are being removed from the Pirates website. But before blaming the team, it should be noted that MLBAM controls the websites of all 30 teams through MLB.com, and MLBAM (like the official sites of most professional leagues) likes their stuff sugarcoated. If one relied on NHL.com for all their information on profesional hockey they would believe that there has never been an on-ice fight in the history of the sport!!! SECURITY INCREASED AT BIG W: Security at Wimbledon increased after an apparent attempted detonation in central London on Friday. Police discovered a parked car in the city packed with gas containers, a large number of nails, and a detonator. Police said an explosion would have caused 'significant injury/loss of life'. Officers have enhanced checking of parked vehicles near the tennis complex. The All-England club stresses that they have received no intelligence about a possible increased terror threat (and would they tell the public if there were). WAS F1 DRIVER SAVED BY PAPAL MIRACLE??? Polish Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica is sidestepping a claim that he owes his life to the powers of Pope John Paul II. The 22-year old Kubica hails from Krakow, the late pontiff's home city - and has long raced with John Paul's name on his racing helmet. Poland's news agency reported that Kubica surviving a horrific crash during the Canadian Grand Prix earlier this month could serve as evidence of a miracle in the beatification process of JP2. Kubica says he knows nothing about the report and adds that 'in Poland there are many things that are reported that are not true'. |
