MLB:Mark Cuban Submits Application to Own Cubs: Baseball HAS to like the type of cash Cuban can pony up. The Cubs are one of the most heralded and successful franchises in all of sports; they won't be a cheap acquisition. Not to mention the fact that the current Cubs' management has several millions of dollars (see Alfonso Soriano, Ted Lilly, Mark DeRosa, Jason Marquis, Aramis Ramirez) tied up in salary commitments over the next several seasons.
David Wells Gets Suspended, Thinks He Might Be Wearing a Skirt Soon: "Whether it's coming from a higher power, or they're tired of it, but they're changing the game of baseball. We're not allowed to do anything. Pretty soon we'll all put skirts on and we're all going to play softball. You're going to have to throw underhand. If you throw overhand, you're going to get a 20-game suspension. That's kind of how I see this game going."
Scott Boras Says Alex Rodriguez Sure to Make Over $30 Million: If Barry Zito can net $120 million, why can't A-Rod -- who's set to make around $27 million next year anyway -- bump his extension up to $30 million per year? That would set a new precedent for contracts for a second time in Rodriguez's career; if you can't win a World Series, that isn't such a bad consolation. At least, A-Rod's grandchildren will think so.
Soccer:
How Didier Drogba Ended the Ivory Coast's Civil War: He's currently in SoCal, getting ready for this weekend's Chelsea v. Club America friendly and the following weekend's big match pitting Chelsea against the Los Angeles Galaxy and some guy who used to play for Manchester United. Somewhere in between these events, though ... Drogba managed to end a civil war in his native Ivory Coast that lasted nearly five years, and he did it all with one soccer game.
Football:Bettis Predicts Cowher Will Coach Giants: Bettis was right when he predicted last summer that Bill Cowher would hang up his headset after the 2006 season. Now the former Steelers running back is predicting Cowher's next move.
Genarlow Wilson Case: Is Prosecutor David McDade Another Mike Nifong? The rape prosecution of three innocent Duke lacrosse players was such a shameful abuse of power that the very name of the prosecutor, Mike Nifong, has become synonymous with official misconduct. Today the legal blog Above the Law asks if the prosecutor going after imprisoned former high school football player Genarlow Wilson is the new Mike Nifong. It sure sounds like he is.
European Violence:
Injuries Mount Following Fifth Stage of Tour de France: The Tour de France has gotten off to a particularly grueling start, with two major crashes in the first five stages. The biggest casualty thus far is Andreas Kloden, or more specifically, his ass. Kloden is described as "doubtful" by his team following a crash during stage 5 that fractured his coccyx, more colloquially known as your "ass bone."
Seven Gored In Pamplona, Viva Pamplona! The running of the bulls represents the only opportunity cows get to turn people into hamburger, something the bulls of Pamplona, Spain took full advantage of in yesterday's running of the bulls at the Festival of San Fermin.
NASCAR:
White Men Can't Dance and Other Half Truths: If you find the "Whine Up" performance as painful as I do, you'll want to let the video load first (or at least turn the volume down) and let 'er rip at about 3:12 to go and wait for the hilarity that is Jeff Gordon's runaway pelvis.
Boxing:
Fernando Vargas, Ricardo Mayorga Fight at Press Conference, but Was it Staged? I mentioned earlier that I'd like to see a war of words to hype the Winky Wright-Bernard Hopkins fight, but in watching that Vargas-Mayorga press conference fight, my first thought was that the whole thing looked staged. The presence of Don King will do that.
NCAA Basketball:Premature Hoops BlogPoll: No. 6, Georgetown
Premature Hoops BlogPoll: No. 7, Tennessee
Premature Hoops BlogPoll: No. 8, Indiana
Premature Hoops BlogPoll: No. 9, Michigan State
Premature Hoops BlogPoll: No. 10, Marquette
FanHouse Exclusive: Interview With Kevin Love: Although we attended another Los Angeles school famous for winning National Championships--in football--this FanHouse correspondent was nevertheless impressed with Love's humility, agility and intelligence as he handled even the toughest of our trick questions.
Pro Basketball:
Tony Parker's Latest Music Video: I can only guess this was meant to commemorate the eternal flame of love that is Tony and Eva's marriage. Whatever the cause, it at least finds Parker in his comfort zone of wussiness--unlike his earlier attempts at club bangers. I can't imagine this getting anything but ridicule among sports fans, but as a career move, it's not too shabby. And I'm sure it will be huge in more delicate nations.
Lisa Leslie to Maya Moore: 'Always Stay Humble and Hungry': In the one coherent question I was able to put together I asked her what words of wisdom she had given the young athletes at lunch, secretly just wanting to hear it for myself. The new mom said she had spoken about the importance of the two H's: staying "humble and hungry."
Glen Davis, Fat Narcissus: For a second rounder, Glen Davis sure generates a lot of interesting press. First, Big Baby was sure he'd be a Piston until he wasn't. Now, the big, lovable Celtics has his first pro-level quirk. From The Boston Herald.
