68 + 1

Hands down, the greatest shirt in the history of shirts appears at left today.  Speechless.

Not good news coming out of Buffalo on the Bills ticket front.  Although the visits by the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers are sold out, and the NY Jets visit is just about, they're expecting to sell fewer than 50,000 season tickets this year, a drop off of 5,000 from last season.

Chicago Black Hawks captain Jonathan Toews took the Stanley Cup home to Winnipeg and did the usual public rally, a City Hall visit...and a ride on the bus.

If you were one of the 39,000+ in attendance at the Rogers Centre, you got to witness a fantastic performance from Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov who scored a beauty, set up another with a ridiculous pass, and in general toyed with Glasgow Celtic for a full 90 minutes in Man United's 3-1 win.  Worth every one of the $165 paid.  Hopefully you got there early.  Seems the Rogers Centre had thousands upon thousands jamming the entrances in the first 15 minutes of action.  Guessing it had something to do with not being used to such large crowds.

Good news soccer fans: the scantily clad ladies promoting Setanta Sports at Rogers Centre last night tell me that their channel is going HD for this coming soccer season, with over 600 games shown in HD.  The cost?  $16.95 a month, only a couple bucks more than the Extremely Low Def they offered before.

Manny Pacquiao has agreed to all terms for a fight with Floyd Mayweather, yet another deadline passed.  Something to do with Mayweather wanting guarantees that his perfect record will remain intact.  Moreso theory than fact...or is it?

Former Toronto Raptor Hedo Turkoglu had gall bladder surgery?  This should surprise nobody because while in Toronto, he sure displayed a lot of gall.

You know I'm a fan of baseball injuries.  The latest?  San Diego Padres pitcher Mat Latos hurt his back...holding in a sneeze.


Check out Holland's Arjen Robben ranting about the officiating in the World Cup Final.  Tool.

Not sure how it took so long to see this one, but check out German World Cupper Mesmut Ozil's juggling act in pre-game warmups.

Hollywood LeBron

Fantastic article passed my way by one JG, who often checks things out herebouts.  The title says it all: Sorry if you think soccer sucks.  But nobody cares what you think.  Fantastic.  I've loved hearing some football or baseball fans tell me that it moves to slow.  Really?  Last I looked, save for one halftime, it doesn't stop, and 90 minutes takes either that or just over.  Not the three plus hours that the 60 minutes of a football game takes, not the infinite time a baseball game can take.  Don't get me wrong, I love all three, just don't understand the ridiculous need to compare all three when you can judge them all on their own merits.  Do I like the diving and theatrics of some?  Hell no.  But if you're a (North American) football fan and don't think there's theatrics there, you're dreaming.  Or if you think grabbing a guy by his nutsack or fishhooking him is sport, then carry on.  If you think there's no diving in basketball or hockey, you're simply not paying attention.

Now here's an NBA star I can get with: Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant has no opt out clause in his new contract. Why? To aid the team's recruiting efforts to attract other players so they don't fear the team losing its young star, unlike a certain former Cleveland Cavalier.


Thierry Henry, former French captain and a highly decorated player with both Arsenal and Barcelona, has finally agreed to terms to play for the New York Red Bull in the MLS.  Also entertaining a move to the MLS?  Manchester United's Ryan Giggs.  Giggs and many of his start teammates are in Toronto tonight for a friendly - exhibition game to the uninitiated - against Glasgow Celtic.  Yours truly will be sitting midfield 18 rows up.

Great bit of info passed my way from regular reader KD: World Cup fans watching at outdoor venues in South Korea, not wanting to miss a minute of the action, drove a 168% increase in the sale of adult diapers in the last month.

The MLS, which owns its players as opposed to individual teams, says it will not sell U.S. World Cup star Landon Donovan.  Me, if he wants to go, you let the man go to bigger clubs and more fame.  He's still young enough that after a couple years in Everton or Chelsea, as has been rumored, that he can come back and you can still cash in.

Somebody might want to tell MLB Commissioner Bud Selig that his "this one counts" thing for the All-Star Game can officially die now.  The game Tuesday drew the lowest rating of all the times.

A double shot of MMA talk here: 10 reasons why UFC rules sports.  Also, 10 must see fights for the second half of 2010.

Think Jacksonville is sweating losing the Jaguars?  Some fans have started a website called "NowayLA" to push to keep the team in J-Ville.

If you haven't had enough of Chris Berman's "back, back, back" routine at the overdone Home Run Derby, then you'll enjoy this compilation of his 2010 effort.  If you are tired of it, then only go there if looking for torture.

What would RM be without a regular installment of WAG's?  Up today, the 50 Hottest WAG's of all the times.

Why the internet rules, part 7,869,419: the Mel Gibson Soundboard.

Why the internet rules, part 7,869,420:  LeBron James dumps on Cleveland, NWO Wolfpack style...

Baseball's back!

The Major League Baseball schedule fires back up today, thankfully. What a horrible time to hit the All-Star break the same day that the World Cup ended. That's like being at a keg party and somebody randomly shuts off the taps while you're on a malted hops frenzy.

George Steinbrenner's funeral goes Saturday in Tampa. The Yankees Old Timers Day is slated for Saturday as well with a game against Tampa Bay to follow. Scalpers must be drooling over the prospects this weekend with the second place Rays in the house. 

Somebody let Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista know that Hollywood Hogan called...he wants his beard back.

Speaking of the Jays, if not for their month long slumber, Toronto might well be looking at three active pro-sports teams with winning records now that the Argos moved to 2-1 early in the CFL season and Toronto FC doing the deed. Of a more ominous note for the Boatmen: their home opener drew a mere 20,242.

Dear Mr. Steinbrenner, thanks for passing. Couldn't have come at a better time. Yours, LeBron and Tiger.  The New York Times, by the way, had 43 pages on Steinbrenner's death yesterday.

For those that wonder why I don't cover Tour de France more, I give you this to appease: the 15 best wipeouts.

Funny that some of the same people loving the Jays free agent acquisitions from parts unknown are the same people who relentlessly crack on the Leafs doing same. Can't have it both ways, I'm afraid.

Buster Olney warns that newly acquired Blue Jay Yunel Escobar couldn't get along in the famously good Atlanta Braves locker room. This could get good as the Jays slide further out of contention and Escobar having a down year.

Line of the night from the second episode of Entourage: "I'd rather wax my asshole."

The soccer "silly season" is about to get underway now that the World Cup is out of the way.  First up is talk that Kaka is on his way out of Real Madrid after one season, with Chelsea a possibility.

Lou Pinella is managing through the last year of his contract with the Chicago Cubs, as is Joe Girardi with the New York Yankees.  Girardi is a born and raised Illinois boy, and his openly discussed the Cubs job as being attractive.  Leverage for a new Yankee deal?

Tweets Gary Busey - yes, that Gary Busey - "Mel Gibson may be blackballed from Hollywood, but he still has a future in ghostwriting songs for rappers."

Have a great Thursday.

"You don't apologize for NOTHING? Then you're a dishonest..."

You know that George Steinbrenner's death is a big story when it boots Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption to ESPN2.  Wonder if that pushes the Hal Steinbrenner, The Boss Jr., to push hard for a Yankees World Series win in his dad's last year?  Checkout Steinbrenner's Greatest Hits.  But hey, at least I had The Boss in my Death Pool for 2010.

Dave Feschuk at the Toronto Star hammers Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo for his latest version of Raptors Makeover.  Fault him for not getting it right if you will, but can't fault him for sitting by and not trying.

There's a ticket for the Toronto Blue Jays visit to Yankee Stadium on Stub Hub going for a mere $350,000.  Presumably that includes parking, a hot dog and beverage?

The World Cup was a ratings bonanza for CBC, shattering previous records in Canada.  Partly, that is the result of being on CBC which is so widely available, and partly, because now bars are counted with far greater accuracy.  The finals peaked at over 7.5 million viewers.  A 3D viewership rating of 4 viewers is also rumored to have been set.

Bruno Fernandes Das Dores de Souza - in the running for Brazil's goalkeeping job for 2014 World Cup - is pretty safely out of the running now.  Seems 'ol Bruno didn't take kindly to a girl he got pregnant - porn star Eliza Samudo - deciding to keep the now four month old baby, so he hired a couple of goons and watched while they choked her to death, then had her carved up and fed to dogs.  Classy.

Jon Heyman at SI.com dishes out his mid-season awards for each league's MVP, LVP (least valuable player), Cy Young, Cy Old (worst pitcher) and more in this spot.  A good recap of a great first half.  Of note: check out the Cy Young race in the N.L.  Freaking impressive.

ESPN's Jon Miller - and he can't pronounce Adrian Beltre without saying "Bell-Tray", so take this with a heavy dose of sodium - has accused the Colorado Rockies of manipulating the balls used in home games, mixing in some non-humidor balls when the Rockies are trailing.  That's a pretty heavy accusation to levy without a whole lot of evidence.

It wasn't long ago that the Chicago White Sox were prime fire sale candidates.  But, win 25 of 30 and you suddenly become buyers, which they may need to with Jake Peavy out for the season.

Check out the 14 Best Goals of World Cup 2010. I'm sure some comedic lightweights are waiting to say "hey, every goal made it!"  Save it.  Not sure Forlan's goal vs. Holland or Ronaldo's vs. North Korea belong.  Landon Donovan's goal is my top one.  Goosebumps still.

Mel Gibson is insane.  This is the most amazing 8 minutes and change you'll hear this year.

A slow day in the world of sports...

The Sports Pickle notes that "despite a name that would suggest it would feature nothing but stars, Major League Baseball will reportedly include three Toronto Blue Jays players in this week's All-Star Game, a move that could possibly undermine the entire event."  The game goes tonight, of course.


It comes as a huge surprise to nobody that Rev. Jesse Jackson has likened Cleveland CavaliersDan Gilbert's treatment of LeBron James owner to those of a slave master: "His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave"  Sorry, Mr. Jackson, it is actually possible for a black man and a white man to have a disagreement that isn't racially motivated.  But that doesn't keep your name in the spotlight, does it?

Good news for the surprising New York Mets.  They're getting Carlos Beltran back in the mix this week for the first time this year.

2010 marks the first time since the six division format began in MLB in 1994 that no team enters the All-Star break with a lead in their division of five games or more.  The Texas Rangers are closest at 4.5, but they did just get swept at home by Baltimore.


Might the NBA see a "big three" in New York in the coming years?  They might, if Chris Paul was serious about comments he made about joining Amare Stoudamire and Carmelo Anthony in the Big Apple. 

Will somebody please, please drop the "Delonte West tapped LeBron James mom" story already so we can all laugh at him even further?  There will be no running from that one.  A great shirt being sold off a very cryptic sounding website called kissmyasslebron.com appears at left.  Love the latest gloss I heard for him: LeCon.

Confirming what we already suspected, Scarlett Johansson is hot for Mango. Speaking of Scarlett, check out this guys running list of 500 things he'd do to bang her.

For those scoring at home, finished 36-28 in the World Cup picks.  56% and change.

Overall the average goals per game at the World Cup was 2.27, just ahead of Italia 90’s mark of 2.21, which is the lowest of all time, but in the knockout stage the goals per game average rose to a healthy 2.75 which was the best since 1998’s mark of 2.81.  There were 145 goals scored in total.

Presumably, somebody won the Home Run Derby, if it is indeed over.  Prediction: Chris Berman overdid the "back, back, back, back..." thing somewhere during the first at bat, if not sooner.

First we hear that Bryan Colangelo has jettisoned the horrible Hedo Turkoglu deal, and now comes word he's shipping Jose Calderon?  The man must be after my heart.

Tough week for Yankee fans.  Bob Shepperd passed away on the weekend, and they'll use his voice (recorded) to introduce Derek Jeter, and today, we hear that George Steinbrenner has passed away.  You may not have respected everything The Boss did, but you have to want him as an owner.  Committed to winning.  Period.

Have a great day.  GO A.L.!

Spain triumph

The World Cup Final was a chippy one, crossing the line into dirty several times.  One might argue Nigel De Jong's kick to the chest of a Spanish player was the worst moment, and while that should've been a red card, I'm not entirely sure it was the worst thing I saw on the day.  My "dirtiest" was the great Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta diving twice down the stretch, the first screaming like he was cut in two when he was untouched by Gregory Van Der Wiel, and the second got John Heitinga sent off with 11 minutes to go in extra time.  Of course, minutes later, Iniesta scored the winner and Spain are the World Champions.  I thought Spain were the better team on the day, but Holland had the better chances and could've easily stole the game.

Wow, at least the Miami Heat introduction of the The Three DB-gos wasn't ridiculous.  Video here. And in the spirit of Miami, will LeBron change the baby-powder-in-the-air ritual he does pre-game to use cocaine?  I'm interested to see who comes out last in the pre-game introductions.  Memo to Chris Bosh: fear not, it won't be you.  The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a look into how the deals to bring Bosh and LeBron came to be.  Well worth your time, though you may feel the need to shower after from the sliminess of it all.

If you're wondering what was on Iniesta's shirt that he showed off after scoring, it read: "Dani Jarque siempre con nosotros" - Dani Jarque is always with us.  Jarque is the former Espanyol captain who died of a heart attack last year at 26.  Speaking of shirts, not sure how I feel about Spain changing into red jersey's with a gold star on it - to indicate a World Cup winner - in time for the trophy presentation.  Seems a bit cheesy, no?

Love how Deadspin has declared Bobbi Eden the biggest winner in yesterday's World Cup final for being able to remove her name from the "Jaw Transplant List" now that she's off the hook for hummers to all her Twitter followers.

I don't always agree with every move that Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo makes, but he does have a knack for eliminating a problem in short order and moving on, as he just did in moving Hedo Turkoglu to the Phoenix Suns.

Maybe the Texas Rangers missed that career 7.62 ERA that Cliff Lee has pitching at The Ballpark in Arlington, and he was shelled for three homers and six runs in a loss Saturday in his Rangers debut.

Surprised the guy that jumped from the stands and tried to do something to the World Cup trophy yesterday didn't get more play here.  Check this out:

The heart says Holland, but the head says Spain.  Who to take?  Well, Holland enter the World Cup Final with a record 6 wins in the tournament, a first.  Spain enter looking like they finally found their dominant ways of Euro 2008 based on their performance in the semi-finals against Germany, a 1-0 Spanish win.  Spain have struggled to score goals all tourney long, 1-0 winners whenever they've won, despite creating piles of chances.  Holland on the other hand have scored multiple goals in every game but one.  Spain are the more experienced side, but have counted on late goals to win more often than not.  Holland have scored some lucky goals to be sure, but have looked comfortable in every game.  Who wins?  Again, the heart says Holland, the head says Spain.  Taking Spain.

The Toronto Blue Jays are 5-14 against the AL East's Big Three.  Fire up the "move to the Central" movement anytime you're ready, Jays Fan.

Wesley Sneijder and David Villa sit tied with Thomas Mueller and Diego Forlan for the golden boot with five goals apiece.  Only the first two have a shot to break the log jam in today's game.

Drinking game for the World Cup Final: everytime they mention in the broadcast, and it'll mostly be in the unimaginative pre-game and half-time shows, that we'll be seeing a first time winner, have a drink.  You'll be trashed by the half.

Brock Lesnar's next title defence will be at UFC 121 in Anaheim on October 23rd where he'll face Cain Velasquez.  That's gonna be a bad ass fight.