Media Watch:ESPN's Who's Now: No Single Topic Has Ever Drawn the Volume and Intensity of Complaints: ESPN executives can say with a straight face that they don't think it was quite the miserable failure that most people do. And Glenn Jacobs, senior coordinating producer for the 6 p.m. and weekend morning editions of SportsCenter, defended Who's Now in a discussion with the ombudsman, Le Anne Schreiber.
NFL Won't Show Quarterback Challenge Because Falcons QB Michael Vick Was There: That's bad news for the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, which agreed to pay the NFL $700,000 to host the event because it thought having the competition on American TV would encourage Americans to vacation there. So you can add some people in the Cayman Islands to the long list of people who aren't happy with Vick right now.
Tortorella Tears into Outgoing Ownership: "I think we were kind of the ugly stepsister of the Detroit Pistons with our prior ownership with Mr. Davidson. He's a great man, but they really weren't too excited about being around the hockey club."
Does Yahoo! Games Have the Inside Scoop on Giants DE Michael Strahan? Look no further than the screen shot above, which was taken from the "Madden 08 launch celebrity interview" video being hosted on Yahoo! Games. There is no mistaking how it reads: "Former NFL Defensive End."
But, But ... What Will Pedro Gomez Do? You think your day at work this morning is a little bit drearier, especially now that you have to face all your co-workers' uninformed opinions on steroids in sports and baseball and Barry Bonds' involvement therein. You think Bonds is making your life harder.
Will Olympics Make NBC China's Cheerleader? NBC has a lucrative contract to televise the Olympics, and that means the network isn't going to stir the pot too much when it comes to China's human rights record. I get that. But still, it was a little distasteful this morning to turn on NBC's Today Show and hear the reporter refer to the celebrations in Tiananmen Square as "a big pep rally" and tout the way that "reforms have been made" in "a new China."
Bizarro:The Debriefing: Ways for TNA to Maximize Pacman Jones' Wrestling Potential: Now, in a special twist, TNA will also have to hire Chris Henry, who also has some time on his hands, and he and Pacman could rekindle the special relationship they had at WVU. Henry would be Pac's manager, and he would hide power pellets in the corner turnbuckles, and if Pacman can successfully get to one and eat it, his opponent will immediately turn blue and submit to a any basic headlock or arm-bar.
Skateboarder Pulls Off Amazing Trick: $500K in Theft: We'd say that robbing stores after hours was a most dangerous and inadvisable thing to do, and it is. However, if the alternative is taking some of the risks skateboarders take, we might choose a one-time appointment with a Best Buy and a crowbar, though---especially if the alternative is something like Jake Brown's punishing return to earth in last week's X games.
ToughMan 2007: Non-Brits Need Not Apply: The competition is the brainchild of Willy Mouse, who owns the property west of Birmingham where the competition takes place. Mouse has run the event in one form or another for over 20 years, and suggests that if you are American and thinking about showing up, don't.
MLB:Jason Hirsh Threw Six Innings With Broken Leg: There was even some speculation that Hirsh got picked off intentionally later in the game to keep him from running the bases. I doubt it. Well, the Rockies brass should only be too happy to hear this report; nobody can ever accuse Hirsh of not giving his all.
Be Careful In There: The Bonds Pit of Madness: I'd love to post a detached diatribe about the way a small piece of rawhide and core can make us go all Lord of the Flies on each other, but ... yeah, if I was in there, I'd have been doing the same thing. Cannonball!
Chipper Jones Thinks Jose Canseco Might Be Right about A-Rod: This is exactly the type of situation Joe Torre predicted -- once Canseco's vague comments were printed, people are suddenly willing to give credence to the idea that A-Rod has done something wrong despite the fact that A-Rod has never been publicly connected to any performance-enhancing drugs.
The Pirates Will Pay Tribute to Barry Bonds: Having been at the game in which he hit two homers against the Pirates back in April, I can only imagine what the scene will be like at PNC when this video airs on Monday.
Why I Refuse to Watch 756 and Give Bonds Any Glory: It tells people that the way to ascend to the mountaintop of sports is by throwing all ethics aside in exchange for an "arthritic balm and flaxseed oil" that will augment your career.
NFL:Chris Cooley to Marry Redskins Cheerleader Who Got Fired for Dating Him: Cooley was dating a different Redskins cheerleader, and she's the one who introduced him to Christy. But then both Christy and the other cheerleader got fired because the Redskins found out that they had dated Cooley. It's a no-no, by team rules, for employees to fraternize with players. (So why didn't they fire Cooley?)
NBA:
Old? No Rings? Boston's Got You: On no planet is Reggie Miller the difference between 'East contender' and 'championship contender,' especially at the 15 minutes a game Adande (who has been tremendous thus far at ESPN) report he'd get. With the salary restrictions such as they are, though, Boston needs to take any chance it can with minor additions.
The Baron and the Desperate Housewife: That's what they're saying. The two met at the TP/Longoria wedding and have been giggling it up together ever since. Let's get the obvious out of the way: Yeah, Teri Hatcher is kind of old and not drop-dead gorgeous.
