May 24th, 2005

Lunchtime Links

Super agent Leigh Steinberg says Ricky Williams wants to rejoin the Miami Dolphins next season. ESPN's John Clayton has the Q&A with all the angles.

Todd Sauerbrun goes to court.

Malcolm Glazer's fellow NFL owners may have a problem with his purchase of Manchester United.

John Buccigross is wondering how the media will handle a possible NBA work stoppage:

I am praying, praying, praying, praying, praying, and praying for an NBA work stoppage. I long for the polls saying nobody cares about the work stoppage, that the fans are apathetic and think the owners are greedy and the players are selfish. Of course they will leave out the declining NBA ratings, and the fact there is a scoring problem in the NBA, and they will never say the NBA overexpanded, or that there are too many foreigners with names people can't pronounce. Let's see if they bash the NBA like they are bashing the NHL.

Apparently, the NBA owners who also own NHL franchises are looking to squeeze the union, just as they are in the NHL.

NB: an NBA labor stoppage would most likely cut into the airtime of one Stephen A. Smith. The news just gets better and better. And now the NFLPA is starting to act up.

About that West Side stadium in Manhattan . . .

It's tough being a mascot these days:

You'd think these would be tough times for SJ Sharkie, the spasmodic mascot of the San Jose Sharks.

The 7-foot, foam-headed shark eats, drinks and breathes hockey. His biological clock is set for Stanley Cup playoffs, which would be reaching a crescendo right now in a normal year.

But this isn't a normal year. The labor lockout ended the hockey season before it began, leaving Sharkie all dressed up with no team to root for.

And face it: Being a mascot without a team really bites.

Here in Washington, I can't help but be struck by the fact that we never saw Winger anymore once Slapshot started making the scene. I wonder if there's a connection? BTW -- if you're up for a career change, click here.

Favorite AC Milan meets Liverpool in the finals of the Champions League tomorrow in Istanbul.

Brother Ralf and Michael Schumacher aren't playing nice on the F1 circuit. And once they get back to the office, look for some rule changes.

Danny Graves is looking for work.

The Washington Nationals still don't have a home on local cable television, and the legal wrangling continues.

Andre Aggasi says au revoir to Stade Roland Garros.

Marquette still doesn't have its head on straight when it comes to the school's nickname.

The equipment improves, but scores stay the same. Here's Bill Pennington from the New York Times:

New and technologically advanced golf balls fly farther than ever. Oversize golf drivers hit the ball straighter. Space-age materials make irons easier to swing. Ergonomically engineered putters roll the ball more precisely. Golf courses are more plentiful and maintained better. Instruction is more accessible, at public and private clubs, not to mention every night on a cable television channel devoted entirely to golf.

There is even a better golf tee, revamped to let the ball soar longer and more accurately.

The only thing in golf that has not changed is the average score for 18 holes. Neither the average weekend player nor the world's best golfers have managed to get the ball in the hole any sooner.

Mark Cuban recounts the 2004-05 Mavericks season, and not enough owners are that gutsy. At the Washington Times, Tom Knott writes that Cuban was right to let League MVP Steve Nash to go to Phoenix.

Clifton Brown says Drew Rosenhaus is the agent that non-players love to hate. Listen to this interview from AOL Sports Bloggers Live, and decide for yourself.

And finally, the late Pat Tillman's parents have some harsh words for the U.S. Army. And I don't blame them.

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May 16th, 2005

Lunchtime Links

"Leisure Suit" Larry Brooks has bloggers on his mind:

It means that Bob Goodenow remains in firm control of the PA despite league attempts to create friction and doubt within the rank-and-file through its floated messages to media and blogging mouthpieces.

Yeah, not like some fans actually have minds of their own, right Larry? Thanks to Steve Ovadia for the pointer.

Congratulations to the Czech Republic, the world champions of ice hockey after today's 3-0 defeat of Canada. Mighty James Mirtle has more. Stay tuned for the next meaningful hockey news sometime in October. If you need a larger fix, check out SI.com's Truth and Rumors.

Seattle has always been one of my favorite cities. Radley Balko reminds me why with this photo essay.

Mitch Albom didn't get "Barnicled" by the Detroit Free Press, but their investigation did turn up some interesting stuff:

A review of more than 600 columns by Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom turned up no pattern of inaccuracies but did find the best-selling author sometimes used quotes from other news outlets without credit, the paper reported Monday.

The review -- the results of which were printed on Monday's front page and two full pages inside -- found that other Free Press columnists also have failed to give credit for quotes gathered by other news organizations.

Carole Leigh Hutton, publisher and editor, said the problems reflect a lack of familiarity with the paper's rules on attribution. She pledged to take steps to address them. The paper's ethics policy requires reporters to give credit when they use the work of others.

Columnists not giving attribution to news sources? Shocking, simply shocking.

Ryan at Distinguished Senators has done the unthinkable -- that is, praising GM Jim Bowden. Ball Wonk isn't happy about the hometown crowd's reaction to the Cubs fans that came out to RFK this weekend, and has some suggestions for alternate cheers.

No Three Putts is chortling over Tiger missing the cut this weekend, and is giving himself some dap.

The Sporting Fools take note of the end of a 23-year streak. I can't believe it's been 16 years since I saw "Air Gait" in the Final Four.

It's official: Offwing is in the tank for Danica Patrick. And Annika Sorenstam too. And did I forget to mention Sue Bird?

Can't Stop the Bleeding takes a look at some explosive, and believable, charges leveled by former Kentucky star Rex Chapman.

CORRECTION: Last week, I gave the impression that the blog at Andrew's Stars Page was a new addition to the hockey blogosphere. In fact, it has been a part of his excellent site since January 2004. My apologies to Andrew.

One Response to “Lunchtime Links”

  1. John F. says:

    RE: Larry Brooks

    Right Larry… We’re all being tippe doff by the NHL with regards to how we should be attackign Bob Goodenow. Ir eceieved the Fax just yesterday that I am supposed to call Bobby a “Doodie head” on Boltsmag before I praise Gary Bettman and Bill Daly for their infinate wisdom.

    I am also supposed to start printing off new copies of the Fan Manifesto to distribute among southern hockey fans and the players who reside in this region. The League and it’s omnipotence needs to be supported by us Blog mouthpieces….

    Excuse the sarcasm, folks… But jeez, iLarry is on a conspiracy-theory kick if he thinks bloggers who are critical of Goodenow or the player-elite are being tipped off what to say by the league.

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May 12th, 2005

Lunchtime Links

I made the mistake of staying up to watch the Suns and the Mavs last night. It's amazing how poorly I function on only 4.5 hours of sleep.

The Athens Olympic Committee says last Summer's games turned a profit -- if you just ignore that massive budget deficit the government ran up building Olympic venues:

"We have not only succeeded in our goal of a balanced budget but at the same time posted a surplus," ATHOC said in a statement Thursday.

The task and cost of building sports venues and infrastructure fell to the government, which also paid for a record security bill of more than $1.53 billion.

The high cost of the games pushed Greece's budget deficit to record levels. At 6.3 percent of GDP, Greece had the biggest budget deficit in the European Union last year.

ATHOC, a private body, said it had revenues of $2.67 billion and expenses of $2.43 billion. The committee gave the Greek state $157.85 million to cover the cost of some Olympic projects, leaving it with $8.97 million.

Profits of only $8.97 million off revenues of $2.67 billion? Numbers like that get you fired in the business world.

Reason is tackling stadium subsidies. Good on them. Chalk up an outfield assist for the Baseball Crank.

Life is getting lonely for Marion Jones.

Meet the Whizzinator.

Donovan McNabb whistles past the graveyard.

After several fits and starts, Tampa Bay Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer is closing in on the purchase of global soccer power Manchester United.

Via Jason Scavone: Wagering on the Kentucky Derby topped $100 million, a first in North America.

At the Hockey World Championships: Into the semifinals -- Canada and the Czech Republic. Going home on the next flight -- Slovakia and Team USA. Breaking Sports has the details. And for the latest in labor news, stop by PJ's place. And North of the border, the Moose are loose!

One question I had not thought to ask: Where have you gone Andy Van Slyke?

Mets fans: We cannot define ourselves by Yankee hatred (however well deserved) and expect to survive. You've been warned.

Yo me gusta Copa Mundial de Beisbol.

The DCist is wondering whether or not the Nats can survive in Washington. Chris Needham is detecting an anti-Nats bias.

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May 11th, 2005

Lunchtime Links

Wayne Gretzky is thinking about becoming a head coach again. If you ask me, the move would be something of a defensive action for Gretzky, as the Coyotes, who had been having trouble drawing fans to their new rink, are probably going to suffer something fierce at the gate if and when the NHL returns. And as part owner of the team, Gretzky stands to lose some serious cash if the team tanks.

What's up with the NHL labor negotiations? Mike Chen tried to read the tea leaves.

A couple of days back, news broke that QMJHL phenom Sidney Crosby had hired a lawyer, presumably to help him get out of his commitment to his current junior team. With this NHL season cancelled, there won't be a 2005 NHL Entry Draft, and Crosby would be stuck with his current contract that runs another three years. Back in January, I asked Michael McCann what Crosby's options were:

However, from a practical standpoint, and assuming the NHL lockout continues, I think the sensible resolution is for Crosby to negotiate a buyout of the contract, and then sign a more lucrative deal in Europe. His legal avenues for breach seem somewhat quixotic.

Just one week after coming to the defense of John Rocker, my friend Robert George has decided to reevaluate his position.

Here's a not so fearless prediction: if Jason Giambi gets optioned to Columbus, it will only be as a cover to end his career as a big league ballplayer. It's a one-way ticket, don't let anybody tell you different.

Say goodbye to Tony Pena. The folks at Royals Op-Ed Page aren't crying. Plans for the World Cup of Baseball seem to be progressing. David Pinto has some more thoughts.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm still waiting for Aaron Heilman to self-destruct.

Jeff Lurie is telling Terrell Owens to stuff it. Something tells me Owens is going to get a new contract anyway.

Minnesota runningback Onterrio Smith may have run out of second chances. And new 49ers head coach Mike Nolan gets an education on the NFL's business casual dress code. Hickok Sports has more.

Yao Ming is going to take it easy this Summer.

The Sports Frog is pointing to a typically blunt Brice Arena Q&A in USA Today:

"You're starting to see us attract greater diversity. Fifty years from now Spanish will be our language and this country will be a soccer power. It's not a white suburban sport anymore. It's a cultural thing, and every country is different, but the athletes who are point guards, wideouts, athletes who picked other sports pick soccer (more) now. Today, 11 of our starters could be black. Ten years ago I couldn't identify 11 black players. Our guys come from everywhere now."

And when it comes to England's Summer Soccer tour of the U.S., it looks like a lot of big names won't be coming along.

There was a pro tennis tour stop on Long Island? Who knew?

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May 9th, 2005

Lunchtime Links

The worst kept secret in the NBA was revealed Sunday when Steve Nash was announced as NBA MVP. My buddy Steve Ovadia thinks he knows why:

Steve Nash, a Canadian, is the NBA's MVP because he had no hockey to distract him. Not only that, millions of Canadians, who might have otherwise been watching hockey, could instead spend this season sending him good, positive thoughts. Steve Nash's success is an almost direct result of the lockout. And of Phoenix's fast-paced offense which Nash was born to run.

So it's like 60% torn hockey fabric and 40% up-tempo offense. Or maybe 40-60. It's sort of hard to quantify.

For more news from hockey's world championships, check out the Bird and Jes Golbez. And Jes has his own thoughts about Nash wondering if a selection by Vancouver could have saved the NBA in that city. And thanks to James Mirtle for the pointer to Tim Kawakami's call that Shaq was robbed:

Yes, he has won only once, after the 1999-2000 regular season, which was O'Neal's first title season with the Los Angeles Lakers. He's 33 now, so O'Neal might not have many more shots at this -- how is he going to prove more than he did this season? Odds are, O'Neal will end up with one career MVP.

And that's wrong.

As for me, this feels a lot like the year the last time somebody from Phoenix won the MVP -- Charles Barkley back in 1993, in a year when Michael Jordan really should have taken home the hardware. Granted, the gap in performance between Nash and Shaq isn't nearly as large as it was between Jordan and Barkley that year. It's more like Nash provided a number of intangibles that helped him convince enough sports writers to pass up the conventional vote for Shaq.

Noted with regret: NBA blogging pioneer Tim Kraus has given up the ghost at End of the Bench. Joey of Straight Bangin' is stepping in.

With no NHL playoffs to occupy my time, I've been overdosing on European soccer: in Spain, Barcelona is within striking distance of wrapping things up, in France, Lyon clinched their fourth straight title, and in Italy Juventus slipped by AC Milan 1-0 to take control of the Serie A title chase.

In England, Chelsea clinched last weekend, and have nothing left to play for. The real battle is at the bottom of the table, where four clubs within two points of each other are vying to avoid relegation. Next season, three of those teams will be replaced in the EPL by a combination of Sunderland, Wigan and the winner of a playoff between Ipswich, Derby County, Preston or West Ham. And once that's over with, everything will wind up with the FA Cup Final in Cardiff between old foes Arsenal and Manchester United.

All in all, I'd rather be talking about how the Islanders shocked the Lightning in the first round, but you take the table scraps you can get these days.

In baseball news of the Chesapeake watershed, the Nats have taken four of six on the West coast and are on their way to Arizona. But Chris Needham thinks it should have been a sweep. And by the way, if you want the real scoop on how well Frank Robinson is managing the Nats, better take a hard look at the Nats blogs. They're like locusts, I tell you (love that senior moment reference).

With the Nats about as far away as they could get, the Orioles managed to draw better than 35,000 to Camden Yards on Mother's Day.

At Slate, Bud Selig gets some praise, which really isn't a terribly new meme. For my take on Selig from 2002, click here.

The New York Daily News says MLB is on Barry Bonds' trail, and John Perricone is using the word "vendetta".

In Williamsburg, the Annika express was temporarily derailed. And, like the Yankees playing from behind, Vijay Singh took advantate of Sergio Garcia's troubles to earn another big paycheck.

At Imola, Kimi Raikkonen spoiled Fernando Alonso's Spanish homecoming. And despite showing some brilliant flashes, Michael Schumacher had to retire due to tire trouble. If you need to ask, he drives on Bridgestone, a brand that seems to have problems in warmer weather.

UPDATE: I neglected to initially mention that Freddy Adu got the first start of his MLS career, and responded by posting a goal and two assists in D.C. United's 3-1 win over Columbus on Saturday. His goal was anything but cheap, and his passing was unreal, as he sprung a number of teammates down the wing for scoring chances.

Looks like he's in the starting lineup for good -- an event that's probably eliciting a sigh of relief from MLS commish Don Garber.

And Michael Wilbon is weighing in on Nash as MVP in an online chat:

Richmond, Va.: I think Shaq got jobbed on the MVP. I agree that Nash did great things for Phoenix but Dallas still won six more games this year than last. And the Lakers

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May 6th, 2005

Lunchtime Links

Canada defeated Team USA, 3-1 at the World Ice Hockey Championships, but both teams will advance to the next round. Click here for a great photo galery.

Ex-Lake Superior State coach Jeff Jackson is taking over the ice hockey program at Notre Dame. It only seems like yesterday that they hired Dave Poulin, but it's actually been 10 years.

Despite having worked as a hot walker at Belmont Park one Summer, I know next to nothing about horse racing. But my Dad loves the ponies, and offers these picks for Saturday's Kentucky Derby:

Here are my picks for the Derby. $12 Triple Box 10,15,16 $10 Win and Place on 10 $5 Place on 15

10 Giacomo
15 Bandini
16 Bellamy Road

As always, this information is for entertainment purposes only, and should not be used as the basis for any actual cash wager. Besides, it's not like any publisher is trying to rush a copy of McErlain on Speed into print anytime soon.

Matt Welch remembers high school buddy Dave Hansen, who just caught on with the Mariners.

Cry me a river.

Because he's in charge of a formidable law firm, Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos doesn't often have much time to watch his team play.

Angelos cleared his schedule Monday night, however, to see if the surprising Orioles could extend an eight-game winning streak and tighten their grip on first place in the AL East.

His trek to the owner's box was not slowed by heavy traffic or long lines at the front gate. A cozy gathering of 15,641 fans, the smallest crowd in the 14-year history of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, watched staff ace Rodrigo Lopez take on the Toronto Blue Jays.

It was the third time this season Baltimore set a record low for attendance at a ballpark that not long ago regularly attracted sellout crowds. After seven straight losing seasons, the Orioles are playing outstanding baseball -- and they're doing it in front of tens of thousands of empty seats.

Can't imagine why that's happening.

And this story just got more bizzare.

More pyrotechnic fun in European Soccer -- this time in Moscow. And on second thought, maybe that boycott wasn't such a good idea.

Robert George says it's time to give John Rocker a break. And if Braden Looper doesn't straighten up and fly right, Rocker might just wind up working in Queens.

Shaq is crying Crocodile tears.

To you and me, the game is still Ping Pong.

ESPN spams Mark Cuban.

2 Responses to “Lunchtime Links”

  1. Devin McCullen says:

    Hey, nice call by Dad there. And if the Mets get so desperate for bullpen help that they’d have to turn to Rocker, they might as well just bring up Yusemiro Petit and give him a chance.

  2. kelly says:

    *sigh* Those hockey pics are great.

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May 5th, 2005

Lunchtime Links

I don't know if it will ease the pain of seeing his baseball team age before his eyes, but a horse owned by George Steinbrenner is favored to win the Kentucky Derby.

Don't want to know what happens if that horse doesn't win.

Click here for some serious number crunching from the Baseball Crank. And JC at Sabernomics gives Questec the most thorough examination I've ever seen. Click here and here to see what I mean.

Indiana's own Radley Balko has an appreciation of Reggie Miller.

Soon to be added to the Blogroll: Distance Running.

Sidney Crosby has yet to be drafted, yet Canada seems to have already anointed the next big thing in ice hockey. The Hockeybird is watching the World Championships, and the style of play is beginning to look all too familiar:

My goodness. The NHL has now corrupted international hockey. The same cutch-and-grab crap, slashes and hooking go largely uncalled as it becomes clearer and clearer that certain referees are tilting the ice towards the underdogs.

I won't hazard their motivation. Perhaps it is a matter of maintaining entertainment via a close score. Maybe it's just sloppiness. Maybe it's an accommodation to the many NHL players skating for the various national teams.

It sucks.

For more, always check out Jes Golbez. Look for Jes to serve as the cornerstone of my all-Blogger ice hockey squad once I put together my roster.

I don't know how D.C. might handle the Wizards winning a playoff series. And in dealing with Jeff Van Gundy, has David Stern finally gone too far?

Can't Stop The Bleeding seems to agree with my analysis of the Jose Reyes situation in New York:

When pinch hitter Jose Reyes took his 2nd base on balls of the young season during tonight

2 Responses to “Lunchtime Links”

  1. Ted says:

    Not much urgency for those of you who aren’t women’s basketball fans… but some urgency for the rest of us, if we want women’s pro ball to survive.

    And low salaries like this mean that good players quit early, or don’t play at all, or don’t try very hard to get better, or don’t show up to training camp, etc…

    So if we want the league to both survive and improve, we need to find a way to make more money, both for owners and players.

    Whether it’s urgent in a larger sense — for some gender political reasons — that’s another question.

  2. Rob Visconti says:

    Might be a little too simplistic, but the the disparity in salaries has much more to do with revenue than it has to do with gender. The WNBA might fill a niche for folks who are fans of the womens’ game, but I’d be interested in seeing and comparing the percentage difference in both salaries and total revenues of the two leagues.

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May 4th, 2005

Lunchtime Links

Over at Womens Hoops, Ted has been running a series of posts on the salary disparity between male and female professional basketball players:

The disparity between the NBA and the W is particularly large and particularly salient for people like us (women's basketball fans). It reinforces the message that our society values women's work less than men's work.

I don't look forward to the day when my daughter asks me, "Daddy, how come Kevin Garnett makes 191 times what Katie Smith makes?" I'm not sure I'll be able answer that one without either (a) making her feel like less of a person based on her gender, or (b) making her hate the world.

And click here for a letter Ted got from the mother of a WNBA player. Color me baffled, but I think the relationship between salaries in the WNBA and the NBA is more akin to the difference between Arena Football and the NFL.

Mark Cuban wins a round with MSNBC.

One reader asked me what I thought about Comcast's lawsuit against the Baltimore Orioles concerning future television carriage of the O's and the Washington Nationals. Well, if there was a way to root against both sides, I'd try to find it.

At the World Ice Hockey Championships, Jaromir Jagr is sucking it up for his country. For everything else on the tourney, go see Jes Golbez.

Jim Mirtle and Tom Benjamin tangle over Bill Clement.

Now joining the long list of failed Wizards/Bullets draft picks: Kwame Brown. You know you're a real failure in professional sports when somebody is working on a Wikipedia entry chronicling your epic lameness.

Barry Bonds goes through another knee surgery. Tom House has added another line to his footnote in baseball history. And what do you do with 47,000 Yankees caps?

The Supremes get involved in the sport gender wars.

Why am I not surprised at this news? And here's another shocker.

Texas takes a bold stand against pompoms:

After an alternately comic and fiery debate - punctuated by several lawmakers waving pompons - the state House on Tuesday approved a bill to restrict "overtly sexually suggestive" cheerleading to more ladylike performances.

The bill would give the state education commissioner authority to request that school districts review high school performances.

"Girls can get out and do all of these overly sexually performances and we applaud them and that's not right," said Democratic Rep. Al Edwards, who filed the legislation.

Edwards argued bawdy performances are a distraction for students resulting in pregnancies, dropouts and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Thanks for the excuse. And for a nice roundup of NFL articles from around the Web, stop by Extra Points, part of the Football Outsiders network.

UPDATE: Jose Reyes of the Mets collected his first walk of the season last night against the Phillies. It was his first walk in 119 at bats.

That led Anthony Rieber of Newsday to write:

The Mets say they are not concerned that Reyes, their 21-year-old leadoff hitter, has the same number of walks as pitcher Jae Seo.

"I just want him on base, that's all," Randolph said. "Get on base and score runs."

Would he settle for one out of two? Reyes has been on base 35 times this season -- 33 hits, one hit-by-pitch and the walk -- for a batting average of .280 and on-base percentage of .292. He has scored 18 runs, which projects to about 115 for a full season. Why walk? When he puts the first pitch of an at-bat into play, Reyes is 6-for-13 (.462).

With an on-base percentage of .292, Reyes ranks 81st in the National League. For a leadoff hitter, that's not terribly impressive. And while it's great that he's scored all those runs (where he's tied for 10th in the NL), I wonder how many more he would have scored if he learned a little more plate discipline.

2 Responses to “Lunchtime Links”

  1. James Mirtle says:

    Jim Mirtle and Tom Benjamin tangle over Bill Clement.

    Is it just me or does that sound like we’re in some sort of lover’s triangle?

  2. SteveSilver says:

    Well, if there was a way to root against both sides, I’d try to find it.

    That’s how I feel whenever there’s a Yankees vs. Cablevision dispute.

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May 3rd, 2005

Lunchtime Links

The NHL and the NHLPA will head back to the negotiating table on Thursday with the shadow of an ESPN pullout looming over the proceedings.

As for me, I'm just happy that I don't have any skin in this game any longer, as Comcast finally deigned to refund my payment for the 2004-05 NHL Center Ice package. A refund that came more than a year after I was forced to order a full season of hockey that was never going to be played just to catch the Islanders in the playoffs.

And you wonder why fans are enraged? Try prying $150+ from the folks at Comcast -- folks who insisted that they couldn't look back to last April in their billing database to confirm that I had ordered the package in the first place.

Here's a joke that used to get told at MCI:

Q: Where do the people who can't get a job at the phone company (then Ma Bell) go to work?

A: Cable television.

For those of you who would like to see the 2005 IIHF World Championship of Ice Hockey, click here. Thanks to Jay Kumar for the pointer.

Jeff Van Gundy is my new hero. Anyone who takes on David Stern, and does it with such nonchalance, scores big in my book.


I'm still gasping after watching last night's highlights from Cincy, as the Cardinals rallied from six runs down to beat the Reds, 10-9. Then I saw Ichiro's catch, and I had to reach for the oxygen tank. Check out Sports and Bremertonians for the photographic evidence.

There's a rumble in the Bronx, as Torre and Cashman reshuffle the deck. Larry Mahnken likes what he sees. So does David Pinto, who seems genuinely surprised that the Bombers have anything left down on the farm.

Freddie Adu can't seem to get any playing time in Washington, but somebody is giving the kid good advice when it comes to talking to the media:

Asked if he was surprised he didn't enter the game earlier, Adu said: "You'd have to ask Peter. I can't answer that. It's up to the coach. I felt like I was warming up forever. But whatever is asked of you, you've got to do it for the team and you have to respect the coach's decisions."

Nothing would sour the world faster on this kid than developing the reputation of being a whiner.

And here's a heads up for Soccer fans around the world:

A computer virus spreading through fake e-mails crashed the computers of the World Cup organizing committee Tuesday, causing an overload with hundreds of thousands of e-mails.

The organizers were unable to receive or send e-mails, organizing committee vice president Wolfgang Niersbach said.

The virus is contained in attachments coming from senders with addresses such as "ticket@fifa.de" or "gewinn@fifa.de," telling fans they have won tickets to next year's tournament.

Like earlier versions of the Sober worm, the bilingual virus can travel in both English and German e-mails as an attached file. The worm can use a variety of different subject lines and message bodies, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for London's Sophos computer security firm.

And, finally, Team USA is set to take on the tennis titan that is Belgium in the next round of Davis Cup.

3 Responses to “Lunchtime Links”

  1. David Pinto says:

    I must admit, I don’t follow minor league ball that much. But the fact that the Yankees have a few people who might be able to contribute says to me that someone is doing a decent job of drafting.

  2. Ben Wright says:

    I know the Yankees have a couple of former Wake Forest pitchers playing in AAA Columbus. Borrell and Schmitt tore up the ACC back in 2000 and could use a shot in the show.

  3. Matt Moore says:

    Hmmph. I used to work for MCI, and now I work for Comcast.

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