Media Watch:Irvin's Hall of Fame Speech Saves Lives: Irvin's Hall of Fame speech was so stirring that it drew calls or text messages from Charles Barkley, Vivica A. Fox, Chris Rock and Kenyon Martin, among others. But the text message that pleased Irvin the most came from a man in New Mexico who once drove him to an appearance. The man had considered ending his life, but after hearing Irvin, drove to church instead.
James Gandolfini to Play Sonny Vaccaro: Vaccaro, to the uninitiated, is a smooth-talking executive who has, over the years, worked to sign college basketball coaches and professional basketball players to contracts with all the big shoe companies. He's a controversial figure among those who think he has damaged high school and college basketball by pumping shoe money into what is supposed to be an amateur endeavor.
Pacman Jones Leaves TNA Show on Stretcher: If you're curious what happened when Pacman Jones made his appearance on TNA last night but you didn't feel like buying it on pay-per-view, here's a very low-quality video of the SportsCenter highlights of Jones' appearance.
The Debriefing: Who's Erstwhile, Quarterfinals: Another major golf tournament has passed us by, and in another major golf tournament, David Duval was no more relevant than the guy who picks out Sergio Garcia's pretty yellow pants.
ESPN Wants Oprah Winfrey in the Monday Night Football Booth: ESPN knows that hard-core NFL fans will watch Monday Night Football anyway. ESPN wants to build its audience by attracting people who wouldn't normally watch. And given her incredible popularity among a demographic not known for watching football, getting Oprah in the booth would certainly do that.
MLB:Babe Ruth Got His Swerve On: Ruth routinely held wild parties jammed with young beauties in hotels on the road. During one bacchanalian bash, Frommer says, "Seizing the moment, savoring the time, perhaps a bit tipsy, the Babe climbed atop a piano and bellowed at the women, 'OK, girls, anyone who does not want to get [bleep]ed now can leave!' "
Giants Deny Rumors They Paid Hank Aaron to Deliver Congratulatory Video Message: Hank says he's as happy for Barry as anybody, and it is understandable that he couldn't travel around the country waiting for Bonds to hit home runs. Recording a video message seems like a reasonable solution, and I can buy that he wasn't bribed into doing it.
Experts Say Bonds' Lack of Likability Decreases Value of Home Run Balls: That's still not a bad chunk of change in return for a $50 investment for tickets, or probably less than that. So, is this piling on Bonds, or just a matter of fact?
NFL:Lawrence Taylor on Giants' Michael Strahan: He Should Just Retire: "Once you make that decision that you've had enough, man, it's hard to think of anything but retirement. When you don't love the game anymore, when you lose your will to play, you should just go ahead and retire."
NFL Denies Vick Suspension Coming Soon: Skip Wood of USA Today is reporting that the National Football League denied a Yahoo! Sports report that the league has decided to suspend Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for the entire 2007 season, and that the suspension could be announced as soon as this week.
Jake Delhomme Hits 'Em in the Biscuits: Nothing says fried chicken and biscuits like Jake Delhomme in a teal cape. I weep for what these ad people will make Steve Smith do.
Pat Tillman's Mom Calls Censured General 'The Scapegoat': It does seem unlikely, given how many people lied publicly about the death of Tillman, that it all ends up on Kensinger's doorstep. Of course, Kensinger refused to answer questions before a Congressional committee, and he refers all media questions to his lawyer. He's not acting like someone with nothing to hide.
Olympics:
Beijing 2008 Update: The Air in Beijing Is Kung Pao Spicy: How bad is the air in Beijing on the average day? The Canadian Women's Soccer Team trained briefly in Beijing earlier in 2007, and the results were disturbing. According to an NPR report, the players suffered "low grade inflammation" in the back of their throats and a "burning sensation in the lungs" after training for even short periods in Beijing.
Golf:
The Next Great Frontier for Golf: Mongolia: In case you lose sleep at night wondering things like, "Can one play golf in Mongolia," the answer is a resounding yes. (Warning: "Mongolian rap song" included in background of this clip includes non-Mongolian English profanities.)
Tiger Wins PGA Championship, 13th Major; Jack's Lead Cut to Five: Interestingly, Tiger's 13th major seemed a formality after a birdie on the 8th. But Eldrick looked like he tweaked his left knee after an uncharacteristic fist pump (see the action shots after the jump) -- he hasn't really executed a full fist pump in some time,
