Meltdown in London town

As much as I love Thursday night football in general, I can't say I like the season opening on a Thursday night. That said, this opening game ought to be a great one with the hard hitting Tennessee Titans visiting the snot-bubbling Pittsburgh Steelers. Yours truly was 23-14 (62.2%) in Prime Time Picks last season, and we'll start off playing the Pittsburgh/Tennessee Under 35.5. Yes, seems like a low total, but we're talking two run-first teams with great defences. As always, get down at Pinnacle.

Croatian coach Slaven Bilic is treating England like corn on the cob he's buttering them up so bad after England's 5-1 beatdown of Croatia, declaring that England can win next year's World Cup. They've still got some defensive frailties, and their goaltending isn't at all special, or even average, but they did put on a hell of a show in crushing the Croat's. Probably safe to assume some of Bilic's praise is in hopes of England using their remaining two games - one key one at Ukraine - to fine tune things in preparation for South Africa 2010.

Word is David Beckham's option for ownership in an MLS side may lead him to Montreal. Interesting.

Good of Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlesberger for not caving to the easy road and offering a half-hearted apology to get his rape accuser off the hook. Big Ben has rightly recognized his accuser is looking for a way out knowing she's got nothing, and he's refusing to apologize for something he didn't do.

Toronto FC will introduce Julian De Guzman as their big signing at a press conference this morning. He'll bring a quality that TFC hasn't seen to date, and could prove the difference in making the playoffs this year or not. De Guzman will be paid north of $2 million a year if reports are true.

The fine folks at SI.com deliver their preview of the coming NFL season and who they think will win the various awards at the conclusion of the year, with a link to who they like in the Super Bowl. Me, I'm liking New England over the New York Giants.

The NHL is uncertain it will allow its players to go to the Olympics in 2014. One problem - arguably its biggest star - Alexander Ovechkin - says nobody will stop him from playing for Russia. Two things: One, good for Ovy. Two, have fun with that potential PR nightmare, Gary Bettman.

Allen Iverson says he's going to Memphis because God told him to. So when do we get the NBA ad with God declaring that hoops is "fantastic"?

Have a great Thursday.

9.9.9

Suddenly, a weary (wary?) Cowboys fan - yours truly - is starting to feel more optimistic about the squad's chances this year thanks to Emmitt Smith. What does Emmitt have to do with it? He thinks the 'boys won't win more than seven, and we know as a football analyst, he's a hell of a running back. Strangely, the latest ESPN Power Rankings tend to agree with Emmitt, as they've got the Cowboys at #17. Funny that for all the hate the media piles on Terrell Owens, he's the key departure and a team they had ranked tops last year almost universally is now mid-table.

I wonder if the genius that is Tennessee Titan running back LenDale White has told San Diego Charger Shawne Merriman would be wise to quit tequila?

The last 12 NFL seasons have seen an average of five teams make the playoffs that didn't the year prior. I've got the Patriots for one.

Toronto FC's Danny Dichio will announce his retirement today. He'll leave as TFC's first household name, and the way they've been going of late, their only one for a while. Not many guys played with more heart in any sport, and certainly not on that gutless squad. Dichio will join the coaching staff. In other TFC news, looks like the Julian De Guzman deal is hours away.

Did I dream that Steve Koouleas at The Score just gave his picks to win the NHL's awards in a season still 7 weeks from starting?

Another big day of World Cup qualifying, and most eyes will be on Group 6 in Europe with England looking to clinch their birth when they host a depleted Croatian squad, who are minus their best midfielder and defenders in Luka Modric (broken leg) and Vedran Corluka (suspension). Seems the odds are stacked against the Croatian's at Wembley, but they've shocked teams many times in the past where they weren't expected to (Germany, a couple times; England, a couple times) so there is that for fans of the "Vatreni".

On the subject of diving in soccer, David Beckham has called for an end to picking on Croatian/Arsenal forward Eduardo after he was suspended for a pair of games. Say what you will about Beckham, but he's never been one to dive, partly because he plays like he avoids contact like his wife avoids food, but he's dead on when he says that nobody likes it, and it happens every week. He should have added it needs to stop.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer says that "somebody will die here." No, not by one of his numerous criminal teammates, he means somebody will die on the field from a hit because of the size and speed of players now. The comment, made with Ben Roethlisberger, Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, and Aaron Rodgers around the table, was not met with disagreement.

There is a new channel launching south of the border called NFL Red Zone which will go to a game as soon as a team hits the red zone. No word if Red Bull is a sponsor for that adrenalin rush.

Best dunk ever?

Have a great Wednesday.

17 straight sub-.500?

That's now 17 straight seasons of sub-.500 baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates. That seems almost harder than 17 above .500, no?

Check out Prince Fielder's home run celebration yesterday. I'm sure some "purist" will object, though I don't see the harm - it is an entertainment business after all. And this is damn entertaining.

Speculation is Derek Jeter is going to demand a 4-year, $100 million pact from the Yankees when his current deal expires. Too much term, and too much cash I say. No matter how much he's done, he'll be 37 in the first year of that deal. Jeter's pursuit of the Yankees all-time hits record yesterday stalled with an 0-fer-8 double header.

Carlos Pena has two broken fingers after a getting hit while checking his swing, and the Tampa Rays window for 2009 is all but shut after dropping a double-header yesterday to the Yanks by a combined 15-2 score.

The Labor Day Classic took place south of the border, with Florida State and Miami staging a thriller that went down to the last second. The "U" won 38-34 in an upset of the #18 ranked Seminoles. The CFL versions of the LDC were anything but classic, unless you love seeing the Toronto Argos get killed in general.

In any negotiation when it comes to money, it is always best to assume the first offer isn't the best one. And Jim Balsillie just proved that again, jacking up his bid for the Phoenix Coyotes by a mere $30 million, enough to buy the team out of their lease in Phoenix. I have to say, I laughed out loud when I saw that one. His bid is now $100 million more than the nearest competitor, also known as the NHL.

Jeff Blair at The Globe & Mail wonders where Cito Gaston's slice of the blame is for another lost Toronto Blue Jays season. Sacred cows, Blair, sacred cows.

Sidney Crosby delivered season tickets to a long-time holder in Pittsburgh a couple years back, and she told him they wouldn't win the Stanley Cup that year, but would the next. Which they did. So what did Crosby do? He again delivered her tickets. And brought the Cup. Freaking awesome.

Alex Rios is hitting .154 with one home run and 3RBI in 22 games since moving to the Chicago White Sox. That is ridiculously bad.

Have a great Tuesday!

Jauron soon to be gone

Fired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Turk Schonert isn't leaving quietly, and has fired a blow torch at head coach Dick Jauron, saying he wants a "Pop Warner" offense. Awesome stuff. All is now well in B-lo ahead of their first regular season game, and owner Ralph Wilson summoned Jauron and others for a pow-wow. Gonna get ugly in Buffalo this year, and we haven't even factored in T.O., almost certain to lose it when the Bills fall flat early. It says here Jauron doesn't see Week 7 as Bills coach.

There was no reason that Toronto FC wasn't mentioned here yesterday other than they're supremely frustrating to watch as they put in a crap performance in a game they needed a result from. They're approaching Toronto Raptors levels of frustration for this guy. TFC these days stands for They're Fuckin' Crap. But the Julian de Guzman talk is heating up again with one report it is all but a done deal, though that seems too little and too late.

Some things in life I'll never understand, like why San Diego Charger Shawne Merriman would (a) date that no-talent dishrag Tila Tequila or (b) why he'd be charged for choking her. I mean, who wouldn't want to choke her? Word is Tequila was living up to her name and looking to drive drunk and Merriman tried to stop her.

Toronto Blue Jays commentator Pat Tabler on the Jays brutal record against their division: "if the Jays want to better that record, they'll have to play better." You don't say! Let me guess, the reason they've lost so many is because they don't win?

Derek Jeter needs four hits to break Lou Gehrig's Yankees hits record, and he'll have a double-header at home today against Tampa to get it done. Big night in The Bronx. Yours truly had tickets to the second game tonight and sold them months back. Now my boy Porco in New York, a regular reader here, has himself a helluva ticket to catch the game, or sell at large markup.

Detroit Tiger Magglio Ordonez needs just 18 at-bats to trigger an $18 million option for next season. The Tigers should see if Tonya Harding's crew is available for a little pipe job. He clearly isn't worth that next year.

You're a team with an aging defensive end who has missed multiple games the last two years, but is a definite team leader. The joke of the league offers you a #1 draft pick for said player, and it is likely to be a high pick given who you're dealing with. Do the deal? Of course you do, and the New England Patriots dealt Richard Seymour (Butts) to the Oakland Raiders. Maybe "The Cryptkeeper" Al Davis figures he won't be around to see that draft pick anyways.

Have a great Labour Day.

RM returns at 2pm (Eastern)

Rally Head!

The picture to the right is of Atlanta Braves reliever Peter Moylan rocking his "Rally Head". Yes, he shaved his head that way. Awesome.

If you think Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is blowing smoke about high revenue teams like his Dallas Cowboys propping up the weak sisters like Minnesota or Buffalo, you're kidding yourself. It is going to be a very different looking NFL in the coming years.

If you bet against Florida to cover the 73 points, you were a winner. They won 62-3. The upset of the day was #3 Oklahoma losing 14-13 to BYU.

Buster Olney at ESPN floats an idea to help the bottom feeders in baseball: an NFL-styled scheduling system where the top teams from the year prior would play more games against each other and the bottom end would play more against the bottom. Interesting, except I'm not sure the Toronto Blue Jays ticket office would relish the idea of a string of extra games against Kansas City and Oakland with fewer against big sellers Boston and New York. Note that never once does he suggest a salary cap could happen and would fix it. Not happening.

With a ten game home stand coming up, Derek Jeter is all but a lock to break the Yankees all-time hits record held by Lou Gehrig at home.

UEFA President Michel Platini says that despite Real Madrid spending massive bucks, there is no guarantee they're going to win anything. No word on if he reminded us all that the sky is blue and water is wet.

17-year old American Melanie Oudin is turning out to be the giant killer in the first week of the U.S. Open in New York. First she knocked off number four seed Elena Dementieva, and yesterday #29 Maria Sharapova was her victim.

Portugal scored late to draw Denmark and keep what looked to be their fading World Cup hopes alive, not that that would've been that terrible for Portugal's fans, especially when Brazil qualified after a 3-1 beatdown of Argentina. If you havent' seen the phenomenon in play, what happens each World Cup is Portugal's fans drop their colours and support Brazil when their team inevitably goes out because Brazilian's speak Portuguese. No, really, that's it. The funnier thing is the same courtesy does not apply for Brazilian's - they couldn't care less what Portugal does.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers can't stay out of the news this week. Now comes word that a former team president - Dr. Ross Brown - has been convicted of possessing child porn this week. There's a movement afoot to boot him from the Bombers Hall of Fame. This is stunning news - there's a Bombers Hall of Fame?

Have a great Sunday.

WC qualifier day

• Brazilian ace midfielder Kaka is talking junk ahead of their huge showdown with ArgentinaBrazil, saying the Argentines will crack under the pressure of a game they need a lot more than the hosts. Man I hope this is on TV somewhere. In Europe, the big matches of the day are Denmark hosting a desperate Portugal, the Czech Republic visiting Slovakia, and France hosting Romania.
• The Florida Gators host Charleston Southern today in their kickoff to the NCAA college football season. The line? The Gators are mere 73 point favs. No, really. Get down at Pinnacle if you like. Me, I've got Ohio State -22 against Navy.
• Trivia time: which MLB pitcher has the most wins since 2000? Answer at the bottom.
• Toronto FC visit the Colorado Rapids in the first of a home-and-home series played over the next two Saturday's. And in the familiar refrain of late, they badly need a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive, especially with the Rapids just ahead of them.
• Reason for concern in Jacksonville, home of the Jaguars? They distributed all of 39,942 tickets for their pre-season game this week. Granted, it is pre-season, but the Jags routinely tarp off sections so they can dub a game a "sell out". Maybe it is them Toronto should be chasing as a buying opportunity?
• It was hardly a thriller, but the South Carolina Gamecocks 7-3 win on Thursday night over North Carolina maintained Steve Spurrier's career perfect record in opening games.
• Are you like me, and wonder why cars have the "woah shit" handles on the drivers side? Shouldn't you be, like, driving?
• Boston Red Sox closer Johnathan Papelbon has been fined, for at least the fifth time this year, for pitching so slowly. Good to see MLB does do something about the baseball equivalent of a rush hour traffic jam.
• Be sure to check out Awful Team Photos at Deadspin. Exactly as the name implies.
• Diego Sanchez and BJ Penn are lined up for UFC 107 in December. That should be a fantastic matchup between two entertaining fighters.
• Have to love Winnipeg Blue Bombers coach Mike Kelly calling Saskatchewan "the crotch of Canada." Tell us something we don't know, M.K.
• Finally the Buffalo Bills figured out that they've got an offensive issue. Namely, that they stink. So, the first head rolled in this season of firing coordinators in the pre-season and out went Turk Schonert.
• Roy Halladay was dominant last night in throwing a 1-hitter against the New York Yankees yesterday in a performance that screamed "please get me out of here, Brian Cashman".
• Trivia answer: believe it or not, Andy Pettitte with 146.

Gazoo!

• It may have been yesterday's news, but seriously, how huge is that helmet David Wright is rocking? Word is in 2011, this will be required gear by MLBers. Too funny.
• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has to be paying attention. He obviously noticed Michael Vick, one public Grey Goose aside, has kept his nose super clean and not made any ill advised comments. As a result, Vick will be eligible to play in Week 3, not 6 as originally scheduled. Good for Vick, and good for Goodell for leaving a carrot out there and rewarding good behavior.
• Florida Marlins short stop stud Hanley Ramirez has been blasted publicly by teammatesDan Uggla, Josh Johnson and Cody Ross as being soft. Shame seeing a young talent like that not working at it.
• Is there anything less interesting to a Canadian sports fan than the latest fight by Steve Molitor at Casino Rama? The only times I saw him fight - three - he was fighting tomato cans the first two, and the third he actually fought someone with skill and was so thoroughly beaten he may as well have been fighting Ivan Drago circa Rocky IV. Molitor is back in the ring tonight. Yawn.
• Jorge Posada needs one homer to reach 20, Derek Jeter needs three. That would give the New York Yankees an incredible eight players with 20 or more. The Yanks smoked the Toronto Blue Jays last night 10-5 to move to 10-3 on the year against Toronto. The big story in Toronto this weekend is if Jeter gets real hot, he could break Lou Gehrig's franchise hits record with nine more knocks in the next three.
  
• Jason Whitlock at Fox Sports is a different kind of sports journalist. He'll say things with a fresh perspective that few if any others will offer. But check out his piece yesterday in which he laid out many prominent sports media members. You have to wonder if he's got career suicide on the brain. Have to say though, some of it is damn good, and funny.
• Pacman Jones isn't going to be a Winnipeg Blue Bomber after all. Seems his almost-employer didn't take too kindly to him bragging that his stop in the 'peg was just before jumping ship to the NFL for a playoff run, and he also added some YouTube smack about scoring at will in the CFL. Bonus points for him saying he was going to the UFL and needing to be informed it was the CFL, but in the end, Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde got him.
• European soccer's governing body - UEFA - dropped a strong sanction on Chelsea for tampering with French teen Gael Kakuta. The Blues are forbidden from signing any new players until January 2011 under the ruling which is a massive penalty. Think of your fav team being forbidden from signing free agents, except you can't even do a trade either. Crazy, no? Looks good on you, Chelsea. Not surprisingly, they are planning to appeal.
• a huge day of World Cup qualifying looms tomorrow around the world. Tough to imagine any game is more appealing than Argentina and Brazil tangling. Shame it isn't available on Setanta. Will check my U.S. feeds for those who are on an FTA setup.

Have a great Friday.

Clutch-Rod?

• By no means am I a hardcore NCAA football fan, though I do follow more than most I know. That said, two things I know for sure. (1) I hate Notre Dame. (2) I hate Notre Dame's fans. Knowing those, how awesome is that sign to the right by some former Domers located by their stadium?
• The New York Yankees lead the LA Angels of Anaheim by 6.5 games in the race to secure home field through the playoffs. That's a very large deal for a team that is as dominant at home (an MLB-best 45-20) as the Yankees have been this year.
• Just months after being trade bait and looking like his days are done in San Diego, LaDanian Tomlinson is feeling back on top, or he's just blowing smoke in calling himself "the best back." Not sure about that, but he seems hell bent on getting back into the conversation.
  
• It is only three combined starts, but life as a former Boston Red Sox pitcher in the NL is looking pretty good if you're John Smoltz and now Brad Penny. Penny went 8 scoreless for the San Francisco Giants in his first start. Just shows what a joke the competition is in the NL relative to the AL. This keeps up and Curt Schilling may make a comeback.
• Clutch-Rod? 36 of his 75 RBI have either tied the score or given the New York Yankees the lead. A-Rod and the Yankees visit Toronto to inch the Jays closer to 30 games out.
• Every day, a team I've cheered for most of my life despite also loathing them most of my semi-adult acting life, drives me more insane. As most suspected, the Toronto Maple Leafs silence on the matter of another team in "their" market is because they're dead against it.
• Damien Cox at the Toronto Star looks at the stink surrounding the NHL. I'm thinking the league should shut down til they get it right, there are plenty of other sports this time of year to keep us more interested.
• have you seen the new helmets making their way to MLB? They're bigger than a football helmet. Seriously, check out New York Met David Wright sporting the new lid.
• you know you're a questionable character when after word gets out you've signed Pacman Jones, like it did for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, you back off and say "not happening"
  

Hypocrisy Reigns In Europe

• I do not dispute that Arsenal's Eduardo da Silva dove in a game last week against Celtic. Since then, soccer's governing body in Europe - UEFA - has banned Eduardo for two games. That is fine too, provided it is a precedent. If we're not hearing of how, say, Cristiano Ronaldo, 90% of the Italian league and the entire Portuguese league are being suspended any moment now, then this is nonsense and patently unfair.
• Jarrod Washburn hasn't exactly lived up to expectations with the Detroit Tigers. He's 1-2 with a brutal 6.81 ERA since moving to the Motor City on July 31st.
• Just over two weeks to go until the NFL season arrives and the topic du jour is the status of Tom Brady's shoulder. Seems he practiced yesterday so he should be good to go. The Pats open with Buffalo at home, that ought to get ugly.
• The NCAA football season is about to get under way and if there's anything more college than arguing about who should play for the championship, it is looking at power rankings. Here's SI.com's first cut at that.
• Today, an Arizona court will decide if Jim Balsillie can bid on the Phoenix Coyotes at the auction set for next week. Here's hoping he wins, if only to watch slime like Gary Bettman and Dick Peddie squirm some more.
• Ana Ivanovic's impressive slide down the tennis world continues. The #11 seed at the U.S. Open was a second round loser last night. #1 seed Dinara Safina barely scraped by in her match. If I can find a line for a world #1 that won't be top 10 a year from now, I'm betting that on Safina.
• Since June 1st, the Toronto Blue Jays are 30-46, including 16-25 at home. April seems so long ago, and the next so far away, no? There are only seven teams in baseball with fewer wins than the Jays right now.
• Look, I get that the World Wildlife Fund is looking to provoke a reaction. I also get that Mother Nature deserves a lot more respect than she gets. But invoking an image of dozens of planes flying at lower Manhatten doesn't seem like a very bright idea. Thanks to J-Gam for passing that along.
• Cincinnati Red Brandon Phillips didn't know that the end result of a fracture and a break is the same when it comes to bones. No, really. Thanks to TS for that one.
• for fans of Curb Your Enthusiasm, here's a little dose of the wit and wisdom of Larry David
• fewer than 18,000 showed up in Tampa Bay last night to see the Rays host the Boston Red Sox in a pivotal series for the home side. Pathetic.
  
• one term I don't understand: over-exaggeration. Isn't that redundant?

Have a great Wednesday.

Two vids to close...
Why didn't anyone decapitate Old Has Been for this block?



Perhaps the dirtiest play I've seen in soccer history. Not for the weak stomached.

Mannywood burns

• The L.A. Dodgers are merely three games above .500 since Manny Ramirez returned from suspension. Now, that isn't all on ManRam, but isn't exactly what you'd expect. They may not be on fire, but as you can see in the pic, the area around Chavez Ravine is.
• Best title for a book I've heard in some time: Leafs AbomiNation, a new book from Toronto sports writers Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange on the disaster that is the Toronto Maple Leafs. The price? A very affordable and fitting $19.67.
• Adam "Pacman" Jones is bringing his "Make It Rain" tour to scrip clubs in Canada. Yes, Pacman is now a Winnipeg Blue Bomber. What does it say of Pacman when Argos coach Bart Andrus had him in Tennessee and he's now a Bomber?
• Why a shorter schedule with more teams in the playoffs isn't a bad idea for basebal: fewer than 2,000 people showed up for a not-so-riveting matchup of the Pittsburgh Pirates visiting the Cincinnati Reds, the cellar dwellers in the NL Central.
• Tottenham is turning to be a Croatian haven now that they've signed their third Croat in the past year and change in the form of Niko Kranjcar from Portsmouth.
• The Tampa Bay Rays are five games behind Boston for the AL Wild Card, and they'll start a series tonight in Tampa where the home side has dominated the series the last two seasons. They're going to have to, at this point.
• St. Louis Cardinal pitcher Adam Wainwright has 26 straight quality starts. Can't say I would've figured that.
• Andy Pettitte was nearly perfect for 7 innings and the Yankees cruised to a 5-1 win, making them 32-11 since the all-star break.
• There is talk of the New York Cosmos returning as a squad, and ultimately returning to the MLS full-time. Weird, considering the Red Bull are hardly lighting up the market. That said, there is an incredible new stadium going up for the Red Bull so maybe they look to share housing?
• Seems every other NFL fan you talk to this week has just completed or is about to start their NFL fantasy draft. Some tips for those about to start.
• The NFL Network isn't exactly great value for the most part, but when they've got a new analyst dishing comment like this on the subject of Old Has Been, it becomes better: "Never has a quarterback not gone to a full training camp and then gone to a Super Bowl. It's never happened and never will happen and I thank the football gods it won't happen. . . so don't tell me it's anybody's guess. We know what will happen." Who said it, you wonder? Michael Irvin. Well done, Playmaker.

Have a great Tuesday!

And you are?

• Who would've ever expected to see Pardon The Interruption pre-empted for La Liga, Spanish league soccer? Today is that day on ESPN.
• The easy answer for Manny Ramirez woes is that he's off the juice, but that is also the simple answer. Manny is struggling in a way that seems hard to imagine for one of the best pure hitters the game has seen the last decade or so.
• the whizzinator that Onterrio Smith, one time Minnesota Viking, was busted with is up for auction. Opening bid, $750. No word on if it comes with urine included or if you've got to provide your own.
• San Francisco Giant Barry Zito has a 1.92 ERA his last nine starts and has helped play the Giants into a tie for the wild card with the Colorado Rockies. Good to see the Giants at least getting something out of Zito and that monster deal they gave him. Now, if only they could find some guys to occasionally hit.
• another late tournament choke job from Tiger Woods, as he missed a six-foot put on the 18th that would've moved him into a tie at the Barclay's tourney in New Jersey. Instead, it was Heath Slocum - isn't or wasn't he a pitcher in the bigs? - who bagged the win.
• New York Yankee Mark Teixera is now at 101 RBI as the Yankees completed the sweep of the fading Chicago White Sox with an 8-3 win. The Sox had a 1-7 week in visits to the Bronx and Boston. Manager Ozzie Guillen is expected to go nuclear any moment.
• the NHLPA fired Paul Kelly as the head of its union? Weird, though I did figure he seemed too forward thinking and bright to lead a constituency where the vast minority have beyond a high school education.
• no longer in a playoff spot after the rest of the weekend's results came in: Toronto FC. Not bagging the three points on Saturday when they should've, and losing earlier in the year to Dallas, are looking like they'll haunt.
• word is some Old Has Been will play half the game tonight for the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. Cannot wait to see him flame out.

Have a great Monday!

Lennon Legend

• All you need to know about the Chicago Cubs in 2009: they had eight all-stars in 2008 and only 1 in 2009. That's what happens when you barely average 4 runs a game scored.
• Chelsea and Tottenham both moved to 4-0 yesterday. Chelsea hammered Burnley 3-0 while Spurs 2-1 win overwas a last second victory thanks to Aaron Lennon. Should've been a lot more comfortable than that. Manchester United squeezed out a 2-1 come from behind win on goals from Wayne Rooney and an Arsenal own-goal from Abou Diaby, who couldn't have scored more convincingly on his own goal had he wanted to. Andrei Arshavin scored a beauty for the Gunners.
• So much for the idea the hard-assed Ozzie Guillen would light a fire under passionate-less Alex Rios. Rios is hitting all of .204 with zero power for the ChiSox.
• Toronto FC should've won going away in Seattle yesterday with a half dozen great chances but finish they could not. Still, a draw keeps them in a playoff spot, just. As for the Seattle crowd? Let's just say the fans at BMO Field need to step their game up. The Sounders fans light it up in far larger numbers than a quarter of the stadium who are leading the charge at BMO.
• The U.S. Open gets under way in Flushing Meadow, New York City tomorrow. Funny what a clear cut favorite Roger Federer has become again, no?
• What is going on in the world of beer when that swill Bud Light Lame is flying off the shelves, and the Molson's brothers need to borrow $75 million to complete the purchase of the Montreal Canadiens?
• In four pre-season games, the Buffalo Bills starters have 303 yards, 15 first downs, a field goal and five turnovers. If Terrell Owens comes back and turns that disaster around, name him MVP.
• Former Montreal Canadien and now Ottawa Senator Alexei Kovalev is openly talking of how he wants to finish his career in Montreal. No, really.
• UFC 102 is in the books, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was a unanimous decision over Randy Couture. Thiago Silva crushed Keith Jardine, decisioned Krysztof Brandon VeraSoszynski and more, here.

Have a great Sunday.

Can-o

• Going back to yesterday's story, Danica Patrick's people are neither confirming or denying that she'll be participating in ESPN's rumored naked issue. This is much better than a denial, if you were wondering. Warning about the link: disturbing nakedish picture with Danica Patrick in it at the link above.
• A homeschooled high school football team? Only in America.
• Oliver Perez is the latest New York Met lost for the season. Says Fark.com: World Health Organization declares Mets a pandemic. Awesome.
• Plenty of EPL action today, with the featured match at 12:15 (Eastern) Manchester United hosting the red hot Arsenal Gunners. With the Gunners having played a Champions League qualifier earlier this week, methinks a wise play is there to be had on the Red Devils.
• UFC102 goes tonight from the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. The main event features Randy Couture taking on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in what is a huge fight for both coming off losses to Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, respectively. Not the greatest undercard, but looking forward to "The Polish Experiment" Kryzsztof Soszynski - Winnipeg's own - taking on Brandon "The Truth" Vera. More on "The Polish Experiment" here.
• It'll be a rare occasion today for Toronto FC in that they'll play in front of an MLS crowd roudier than their own. The Seattle Sounders are routinely putting 30,000+ fans in the stands and they've got Q-West Field rocking. What will be even rarer is if TFC can pull of a road win on a huge success story in the MLS on and off the field. 4pm kickoff on CBC.
• another game, another home loss for the Toronto Argos. That's 10 straight now dating back to the start of August 2009. Anybody tells you that life isn't good or fair, just point them to that.
• strange going to ESPN.com this morning and seeing EPL scores leading the banner at the top. Guess that's what happens when the World Wide Leader gets on board.
• that's 11 walkoff wins for the New York Yankees now after last nights 3-run blast from Robbie Cano in the 10th gave them a 5-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Have a great Saturday!

Da-nude-ica Patrick?

• As we head into UFC102 weekend, the story isn't about the fights on the card today - that is tomorrow - the story is Frank Mir, who when we last saw him was having his face turned to hamburger meat by Brock Lesnar, says Lesnar would crush Fedor Emelianenko in the cages of UFC. Now, either Mir is onto something with his new-found respect for Lesnar after that beating a couple months back, or he's concussed and still reeling. Methinks it is the former.
• two things I did not know: (1) Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue is the highest selling mag in the world, year in and year out, and (2) ESPN is rolling out a nude issue in October that will feature, among others, Danica Patrick. That's a helluva start. Seriously?
• the always great Bang! Cartoons have one covering the Michael Vick arrival to Philadelphia. Hilarious stuff.
• the latest and greatest Twitter feed: ShitMyDadSays. Exactly what the title implies.
• this link could be called Old Has Been's All-Stars, except all 10 of these ladies north of 40 have more game than he does.
• more of Them Crooked Vultures, found here.
• Here's a quote, guess the source: "The minute our personality gets in the way of what's going on, then we become an entertainer and we're failing ourselves and failing you." Source below.
• only 25%, of 2 of 8, CFL teams have scored more points than they've allowed. Even the first-place in the West Edmonton Eskimos are -35 on points for/against.
• the Hollywood feature film of the A-Team will cast UFCer Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the role of B.A. Barracus. Other than a young Sam Jackson, I can't think of anyone more fitting
• what do John Smoltz and Brad Penny have in common? Both released by the Boston Red Sox, both after getting raked by the New York Yankees.
• the Champions League draw was held yesterday and has AC Milan grouped with Real Madrid, and Inter Milan with Barcelona, among the more intriguing groupings. Check out the fixtures here.
  
• answer to the quote above? Chris Berman of ESPN. Seriously.
  

Have a great Friday!

Denver Broncos wideout Brandon Marshall = loser

Who needs a captain, anyways?

• The AL Central race is about to get a lot more interesting as Jake Peavy looks set to return this weekend to the Chicago White Sox starting rotation. The Sox are also waiting on Alex Rios to show up.
• not sure what makes me happier, that it is being reiterated with steam building that the Minnesota Vikes players are not firmly behind Old Has Been and that plenty are behind Tarvaris Jackson, or that they used the word "schism" to describe it. Love that word.
  
• Dany Heatley says that not only does he love playing hockey in Canada, but that he "think[s] there were some Canadian teams on the list" that he passed to the Ottawa Senators when he handed in his trade request. He "thinks"? Okay, Ottawa isn't on the list, Edmonton is clearly not, so he's struggling to remember if he had some of the remaining four teams? Nice try, Heater.
• The LA Dodgers are reeling and Manny Ramirez is getting booed. When does Joe Torre start to take some? "Soon" would be the proper thing to happen, but somehow, Teflon Joe always escapes blame. The Dodgers lead in the NL West is now down to 3 games over the Colorado Rockies.
• In what may be a crippling blow to hockey fans perceived importance of a captain, which NHL Hall of Famer declared the "C" merely "a symbolic thing"? If you guessed Henri "Rocket" Richard, you win. Thinking he knows a bit more about that kind of thing than the average puckhead who has, for example, said Mats Sundin wasn't worthy of the "C" in Toronto despite every player calling him the best leader they'd ever had.
  
• Good of Hockey Canada to charge $80 to attend three scrimmages of the Olympic team, and no, it is not going to charity. Pathetic. And no, there will be no talk of that camp as though it is all important now, but some things - like the preceding - are actually worth mentioning/trashing.
• If you're looking to support Michael Vick and have him treated normally, wouldn't the normal course of action be to, you know, treat him normally and not hold a march to shed more light on the situations of year's past? Maybe that is just me.
  
• so much for the idea of MLS purchasing the USL. The MLS says it isn't interested.

Have a great Thursday.

PTI > Sportscenter?

• Jim Balsillie's group has set a September 14th deadline to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and immediately move them to Hamilton, Ontario. Somehow, I suspect the NHL couldn't be less impressed. What a farce this is - the team is a month out from playing its first exhibition game and nobody has a clue where they'll be, who is in charge, who the coach is. The NHL is a joke...who are now planning to buy the team to sell it privately later. Isn't that admitting that the current owner has control still? So why are we in court, exactly?
  
• what a different world it has become: Pardon the Interruption's ratings now outstrip that of SportsCenter (not a typo, Canadians). Of course, that is south of the border. TSN's version of SportsCentre (not a typo, Americans) will retain top ratings as long as the first eight stories are hockey, which is actually worse. And no, PTI doesn't lead south of the border because the NHL is a non-entity on SportsCenter. Only the thickest of puckheads would believe that.
• Manchester United may purchase Tottenham Hotspurs and Croatian midfielder Luka Modric for £10m and Michael Carrick. He'd sorely fill a creative void in that midfield, and they'd lose nothing on the work rate and defensively responsible end.
• I know I've spent a lot of time over the years cracking on Derek Jeter as being somewhat overrated, and I still hold a lot of that is true: he's a weak defender to the left, the Yankees have won nothing since he was named Captain, and vanilla thinks he's bland, but hard to argue with these kinds of numbers that speak to consistency, and longevity.
• Until the Yankees win on Sunday night in Boston, the Yankees and Red Sox had played 140 times since 2003, postseason included. Each team had won 70 times.
• SI.com gives another 25 things it misses about sports. Those brought back some serious memories.
• If the Old Has Been won't go down by injury, I'll take this as a close second, and this one is already happening: other Vikings players preferring Tarvaris Jackson because he's outperforming the Old Has Been.

Whither Roy?

• Liverpool lost 3-1 at home to Aston Villa in what can only be called a pretty sizeable upset. I'm sure Liverpool skipper Rafa Benetiz will have more than a few excuses to offer in the coming days.
• the NHL looks like it will lose a sizeable portion of its tiny U.S. audience, as DirecTV will no longer be carrying the Versus network. Is this one of those "if a tree falls in the forest..." scenarios? Will anybody care that the NHL isn't on Versus now, which nobody has? Still, good to see Gary Bettman is still fighting hard to keep Jim Balsillie out of the league.
• with the NFL season mere weeks away, why not take a quick peak at the 10 Best NFL Cheerleader squads.
  
• Peter King at SI.com looks at the potentially uncapped year for the NFL in 2010. He figures that Pittsburgh stands to lose the most. I managed to read this article without hearing about his "coffeenerdness", thankfully.
• Cliff Lee is now a perfect 5-0 since moving to the Philadelphia Phillies and proving to be the pick-up of the trade deadline. Lee is sporting an ERA of 0.68 in his five starts with the Phil's.
• Roy Halladay was shelled for eight runs, seven earned, in six innings last night as the Toronto Blue Jays went down 12-7 to the Tampa Bay Rays. I don't want to say Halladay has mentally checked out, but it sure seems more plausible than saying he doest have it anymore, no?
• Is it me, or does Laura Diakun at The Score look better by the week?
• Severely underused on Monday Night Raw: Santino Mirella. Severely overused: Hornswoggle.
• continuing the New York Mets nightmare season, now they've got ace pitcher Johan Santana hurting and slated to miss his next start, and possibly looking at surgery. What a disaster that team is.
• Grant Wahl, author of The Beckham Experiment, looks at Beck's Galaxy squad and says they're now one of the best in MLS, and a contender this year. Despite Beck's relative lack of contribution.

Have a great Tuesday.

Bye bye Baaahstan

• Toronto has a champion! The Toronto Nationals - who? - won the Major League Lacrosse championship in their first year.
• Another baseball player, another freak off field injury. This time, it is Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez who suffered a puncture wound after - wait for it - catching a steak knife after if fell off his plate.
• The New York Yankees have now won 6 of 7 against the Boston Red Sox, including an 8-4 win last night paced by five neck breaking off Josh Beckett at Fenway Paaaahk. That's now a 7.5 game lead in the AL East for the Bronx Bombers and with 6 weeks to go, that about wraps that up. A date with Detroit in the playoffs looks likely.
• Liverpool and Aston Villa play today in English Premier League action, with a 3pm kickoff. This past weekend, Tottenham and Chelsea continued their perfect starts with their third wins on the trot.
• After his record setting week in Berlin for the World Track and Field Championships, Usain Bolt was given a three tonne chunk of the Berlin Wall. Didn't that come down in 1989? Anyways, maybe they can strap it to Bolt's back when he runs to make things a bit more competitive.
• In case you were wondering, from the numbers 0 to 1,000, the letter "A" only appears in 1,000 (one thousand).
• The No Fun League is at it again, looking to police the amount of drinking that takes place before and during games. Lame. What's next, they try to limit gambling?

RM returns Monday