Weekend 06/23-06/24 (Very) Quickie:What Happens When I Post at 8 pm

Yes, I missed my usual (very) Quickie post this morning, but I'm bridging the gap between Saturday and Sunday with a post tonight. Update coming tomorrow...at some point.

Bonds: 749. Think he can hit 7 this week? No? OK, then let's not worry about it until the week after. How amazing would it be if he broke Aaron's record on the Fourth of July? How distinctly American!

MLB Stud: Kenny Rogers, who shut out the Braves in his 2007 debut. Knowing Rogers' recent history with the Midseason Classic, that's enough to get his manager Jim Leyland to put him on the AL All-Star roster.

MLB Dud: Justin Morneau, but this isn't said mockingly. I sure hope he's OK. What the hell?!

Speaking of injury, let's give a big fat "dud" to the end of Miguel Tejada's amazing Ironman streak. Forget Ripken: We may not see a streak like Tejada's 1,152 ever again.

Don't mean to be a prude (maybe it's just my anti-Braves-ness), but can we NOT "celebrate" Bobby Cox being ejected for the all-time MLB-record-tying time? It's an embarrassment.

With all the talk about Sosa's 600th home run, let's get excited about Frank Thomas approaching 500, which is a hell of an exclusive club of its own. (If you take out the 5 in the "600 Club," there are only 15 other players in the "500 Club." Off the top of your head, how many can you name? Answers here.)

Jason Giambi and George Mitchell won't meet until July. That gives Team Giambi plenty of time to figure out how they'll spin his stoolie status to his fellow players.

NBA Draft: Greg Oden isn't going to work out for the Seattle Sonics, which is a pretty good strategy. If the Blazers take Durant (and they very well might), what: Like the Sonics wouldn't take Oden sight unseen? The only thing he can do with a Seattle workout is convince the Blazers that Durant is their man.

More NBA Draft: The Suns are hot to move up into the Top 10. Let me throw an idea at you: What if the Suns traded the Hawks' unprotected first-round pick a year from now (which, given this Hawks team, could be as high as No. 1) for this year's No. 3 pick?

The Suns get their choice of the "Everyone But Durant or Oden" field, with Joakim Noah rumored to be their top choice (though they'd be better off taking Horford, the third-best player in the draft). The Hawks still get the point guard they need at No. 11, along with the return of their first-round pick a year from now. Something tells me they'll need it even more a year from now than they need it this week.

Huge soccer news: Thierry Henry to Barcelona, my favorite European soccer club (different from my favorite English Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspur).

NHL Draft: For all that's wrong with the NHL, it's nice to see that there's an unprecedented influx of American talent in this year's draft.

On the other hand, casual NHL fans probably care less about jingoistic draft priorities. Hell, in this case, don't you WANT a Canadian or Russian player?

Patrick Kane taken No. 1 overall by the Blackhawks: Someone please tell me that his new NHL nickname is "Big Daddy."

Speaking of the nicknames, the Blackhawks cleaned up: In the second round, they got Akim "The Dream" Aliu, a Canadian forward who was raised in the Ukraine and born in Nigeria. Instant fan favorite.

-- D.S.

Wash Post's Mike Wise Hates Bloggers

I hate mainstream sports media columns like this, which (a) rip bloggers and (b) show a glaring lack of understanding about blogs, sports media and fans.

At best, Mike Wise comes across like a desperate columnist looking for traction in the blogosphere by inciting it. At worst, he comes across like a fool. He accomplishes both.

And, either way, his loss. I'll have more reaction to this when I have a chance to sit down and really write out an analysis of where he goes so very very wrong. -- D.S.

P.S.: Great to see and meet everyone who went out to the Deadspin East Coast Pants Party last night at the Mets-A's game. Fun time all around.

Friday 06/22 A.M. Quickie:Giambi, Durant vs. Oden, CWS, NHL Draft, More!

Jason Giambi to start snitchin': He will meet with George Mitchell, presumably to save his own skin. Giambi says he won't implicate other players – maybe not – but I seriously wonder whether his squealing will tarnish him with other players even more than if he was, say, a strike scab. Perhaps not, but it's got to be right up there. I'm not saying it's right; that's simply the clubhouse/union-based mentality.

Tejada's Ironman Streak: Will he keep going even with a left-wrist fracture? Or will his streak end at 1,152 games?

Yankees swept by Rockies: It's like the Reverse Shanoff Curse: I show up in Denver, rooting against the Yankees of course, and all of a sudden the Rockies are sweeping the Yankees out of town. Amazing.

Joe Girardi turns down the Orioles: That has got to be the worst signal you can ever get about the lowly state of a franchise. An out-of-work manager turns down a job with a "name-brand" team. Things are THAT bad. This isn't a free-agent turning down the O's for another team. This is an unemployed guy staying unemployed, because that's better than managing the Orioles. Does Girardi know something about Joe Torre's future in New York that the rest of us don't?

MLB Stud: Ken Griffey, back in Seattle tonight and all weekend. It could be the event of the year for Mariners baseball.

MLB Dud: Milton Bradley, designated for assignment (a high-falutin' euphemism for "cut") by the A's.

KG-to-Celtics rumors over: Why? Because KG says he doesn't want to play for that godawful franchise. Who could blame him? The C's harbor delusions of grandeur: A team with the No. 5 draft pick that seriously thinks they are a playoff team, just slumming it for now. KG says he wants to play for the Suns. Gee, thanks: Who doesn't?

(Update: If I was the Suns, I would trade Amare for KG in a heartbeat. Do they want to win a title or not? KG gives them a better chance, I think. So who cares about long-term problems? For the T'wolves, Amare gives them an awesome young post player to rebuild around.)

NBA Draft: Kevin Durant is working out for the Blazers today. OK, here we go...

I keep hearing about Durant's "killer instinct," and it's not that I don't believe it exists, but I'm wondering how "killer" it could be, if he didn't even make it out of the NCAA Tournament's first weekend. He was the best player in college basketball -- by far -- and he couldn't carry his team out of the Round of 32?

Now, would you say Tim Duncan displays a killer instinct? Hardly, yet that hasn't managed to stop him from creating his own dynasty. (I guess that's a vote for Greg Oden as the No. 1 pick.)

Blowout coverage of the NBA Draft next week, including my (and your) mock, the Oden vs. Durant debate, lots of me pimping the Gators guys and much much more.

CWS: Oregon State vs. UNC, a CWS championship-series rematch in consecutive years for the first time since 1972-73.

NHL Draft Mania! Can you feel the excitement? No? Sure, there's no Oden vs. Durant, but there must be something. And that's why I leave it to the NHL-savvy fans to let you know all about them in the Comments section.

Uniform Fetish: Well, there's the new "Take Back the Gold" look for the US Women's Soccer team. And then there's the new-old sweater for the Capitals, who are nominally my favorite NHL team. (Yes, but how will I look snausaged into the new snug-fit jersey style?)

Supreme Court and Sports: Super-successful Tennessee high school football coach takes the biggest loss of his career. Basically, a high school coach can't violate recruiting rules then cloak himself in the First Amendment. (How did this case get to the Supremes anyway?)

Clay Travis: Makin' It Rain (and Clay is in the Red Bull Flugtag tomorrow, too, which might just be the sports event of the weekend). Here's a must-see clip.

Yahoo buys Rivals, Cont'd: Of my many flaws of argumentation style, my tendency to use hyperbole as shorthand gets me into trouble frequently. To claim, as I did yesterday, that "95 percent" of Yahoo Sports' traffic is there for fantasy-related content (including fantasy-management pages, wire reports, scoreboard and boxscore pages, and original content like Funston and Co) yesterday was that kind of hyperbole.

My point was that Yahoo Sports' fantasy platform and all of the related traffic that generates is the engine* that has driven Yahoo's success in its emerging ratings rivalry with ESPN.com. My intent was not to criticize Yahoo Sports' original non-fantasy-related content (much of which is quite enjoyable), but only to point out that it is not the site's most critical competitive advantage in the larger picture of Yahoo's fantasy -- and, now, Rivals community -- offerings.

-- D.S.

Thursday 06/21 A.M. Quickie:Sosa 600, Pac-Man Fever, Schilling, Rivals, More!

Today's Names to Know: Sosa, Pac-Man, Sprint, Rivals.

Sosa 600! Hank... Barry... Babe... Willie... Sammy.

Whether or not he was a product of MLB's Steroids Era, no one will be able to take lifetime membership in the hyper-exclusive "600 Club" from Sammy Sosa.

Does his name look out of place on that list? Sure, but the fact is: He got there, which -- tainted or clean -- is a hell of an achievement. Consider that a player would have to average 30 home runs a year for 20 years... or, for those who like a challenge, 40 HR a year for 15 years.

I think it's a moment to celebrate Sammy. At his peak in the late-90s, few players brought more excitement or joy to baseball fans. In that respect, he was the heir to Ruth and Mays and Aaron, rather than Bonds.

Pac-Man Jones: Two felony charges. If Roger Goodell would suspend Jones for an entire season simply for being immersed in trouble, what will he do when Jones actually IS in trouble? Two-year ban? Lifetime ban? I suppose that Jones has a lot bigger problems now than his NFL future.

More NFL: Is Larry Johnson going to hold out? Unless you're a Chiefs fan, the only reason you care about this is if you hold one of the Top 5 picks in your fantasy-league draft, and I'm sure you'd much rather debate where LJ should be picked than his banal real-life issues.

Blazers hire Nike guy: You could either run a huge division of Nike or run one of the rising powers in the NBA. Larry Miller chose the NBA (I wonder if it would have been the same choice had the team not had the top overall pick of this year's draft?)

Oden or Durant? I was a take-Oden-first guy all the way, but I've started to talk myself into other thinking. I haven't changed my mind yet, but I'm entertaining it...

MLB Trade: Do you actually believe Cubs execs who insist that trading Michael Barrett had nothing to do with his various conflicts with Cubs pitchers? Why don't they just say: "Of COURSE that's the reason!"

MLB Stud: Tom Hicks, if only for spicing up the season by suggesting Rangers all-time great Juan Gonzalez used PEDs. Check the bus tires!

MLB Dud: Jason Schmidt is out for the season, making his free-agency signing the biggest bust of the offseason.

Schilling to DL: More time to blog!

PGA to test for PEDs? I suspect there's probably less PED usage in golf than there is in, say, the NFL or MLB -- but more more PED usage in golf than you think there is. A new PED-testing policy could be fascinating.

NASCAR changing names? I'll tell you what: "Sprint Cup" is a hell of a lot more cool and "racing-ish" than "Nextel Cup" or "Winston Cup."

(Warning: If you don't care about online sports media industry "inside baseball," stop reading now.)

Yahoo buys Rivals.com: It's a good move for Yahoo, because Rivals is the best message-board community in sports, if not all of the Web. (Try to think of another online site whose entire value -- $100 million, no less -- is basically in its message boards. Incredible.)

Yahoo acquires a very strong competitive position: Rivals is the pre-eminent college-sports resource and community, and the switching costs for its consumers is very high. ESPN and FoxSports can't simply build a great message-board network. (And I'm not even sure they want to.)

I usually charge for my online-media consulting advice, but here's the summary of my unsolicited memo to Yahoo Sports execs:

Between Fantasy and now Message-Board Community, you have distinct advantages over your competitors; why not press those advantages, rather than continuing to try to compete as a consumer sports-news service with Reggie Bush "exclusives" (sorry: yawn) and uninspired ex-newspaper columnists writing uninspired newspaper-style sports columns online?

(I don't write that to rip the work being done. I simply question whether homemade original content unrelated to fantasy -- and, now, Rivals -- is the business that it is worth Yahoo Sports to focus on. It's too competitive: The combo of ESPN.com and indie blogs have won the game.)

I'm betting that 95 percent of Yahoo Sports' traffic is geared toward Fantasy. No one goes to Yahoo for straight news or opinion, unless it relates to fantasy. And you know what? That's a great position to be in.

Mainstream sports media's (and I include ESPN.com, FoxSports.com and Yahoo Sports as "mainstream") news "scoops" and even opinion commentary have become entirely commoditized:

As fast as a "scoop" gets published, many/any of your blogs of choice will have it up, too. And the best (and certainly most timely) opinion in sports media is happening on blogs rather than in mainstream sports media.

Yahoo Sports' "MySpace" or "Facebook" big-money proposition is its fantasy infrastructure, which fends off commoditization, because each league and team is YOURS, and from all accounts, you stick with Yahoo's fantasy league because you've used it for years and because it works.

That's the same reason the Rivals deal makes sense for Yahoo: In the same way your fantasy team is your own, your preferred college-football message board is your own, too. And Rivals -- now Yahoo Sports -- offers the best board experience.

(If Yahoo Sports was smart, the next thing it would do is drive down the street and acquire ProTrade, another unique sports-community and fantasy-sports platform.)

Darren Rovell has the must-read analysis.

-- D.S.

Wednesday 06/20 A.M. Quickie:Anteaters, Concussions, Coors, Vick, Yi, More!

Nothing special to "lead" the blog this morning. Just a hopscotch of somewhat interesting storylines to be tracking...

CWS: How can you NOT be rooting for the CWS-newbie UC-Irvine Anteaters, who won in extra innings for the second straight game?

NFL, union cozy up on concussions: Yay, we all agree that concussions are terrible for the sport. (And, presumably, in 10-15 years when we realize there's even MORE damage to players from playing, they'll modify it again.)

Will Tiger play the Buick next week? SHOULD Tiger play the Buick next week? This is sort of like "Should LeBron play in Game 5 of the Finals if his wife is giving birth," except (a) Tiger's baby will already be a few weeks old, and (b) in LeBron's case, it turned out to be a VERY moot point. I think Tiger is in the clear to play, especially because Buick is one of his biggest sponsors. How else will little Sam ride in that Bugaboo if Daddy Tiger doesn't make the money to pay for it? And it's not like he's missing Sam's birth to play in the tournament. My only thing is that if his first few weeks were any like mine (or any parents), he'll be exhausted – but guiltily probably happy to get out of the house for a few days. (Did I just say that? Eh: Yeah, I did.)

More Tiger: Here's a great prop bet – 10,000-to-1 that Sam will win more major titles than Tiger. And 50-to-1 that Sam will be on the LPGA tour. (Yes, but what are the odds that she'll be on the PGA Tour?) All odds via USA Today via Ladbroke.

Orioles interview Joe Girardi: This seems like a natural fit. How long will it take to make it official?

Elijah Dukes Watch: Yes, because he's earned that title. Check out this MLB Fanhouse post from Postman R about Dukes' crazy sports-radio interview.

MLB Stud: Ryan Howard, who had 4 RBI and a mammoth 450-plus-foot HR.

(By the way, I was at Coors Field last night -- my first trip to that park... or Denver, for that matter. What a beautiful setting. And, since the Yankees were in town, the place was unusually packed and full of energy. Oh, and Yankees fans. It was at least 50/50. But "Stud" to Coors Field anyway.)

MLB Dud: Randy Johnson has some kind of herniated disk in his back. And Dontrelle Willis had to leave the game last night with a forearm strain.

Schilling Watch: An MRI might show no structural damage to his shoulder. But what else could explain his sorry pitching of late? Oh, right: How about, "He just don't got it right now."

(Better news for Red Sox pitching: Beckett won his 10th.)

Vick Scandal Update: Nike cares more about Michael Vick than it does about criticism from the Humane Society. It remains to be seen whether Vick's problems translate into fewer shoe sales or a negative p.r. image as it relates to him promoting Nike products.

NBA Draft: What about Yi? Will Yi Jianlian drop to the Sixers at No. 12? Why else would Philly go to a private Yi workout in SoCal yesterday?

NBA Coaching: Kings hire Theus. Today's drinking game (coffee or soda only). Take a sip every time a blogger references the old Saturday-morning TV show "Hang Time" when talking about Reggie Theus joining the Kings.

NBA Trade Rumors: I was disappointed to learn that the rumor of Antawn Jamison for Shawn Marion was bunk.

Wie drops out of Deere: This is a smart move for Michelle. Not only is there a backlash, but her game is WAY off. The last thing she would need is to embarrass herself against a field of men.

Wimbledon: Federer and Hardin are the No. 1 seeds. Whee: Big surprise.

Sports Media: Mike and Mike continue their takeover. They will be in the booth (along with Mike Ditka – "Mike and Mike and Mike," apparently) for the second Monday Night Football game of the season-opening weekend. Hey, Jaworski was on the 2nd team a year ago and look at him now. Watch your back, TK...

Speaking of new dads, Jeff Gordon's wife is due any minute now. Wow: Big week for sports-celebrity baby-watching.

Steroid Watch: Florida will test prep football players (along with basketball players and weightlifters) for steroids on a random basis in a new one-year test program. THAT should be very interesting to track.

R.I.P., Terry Hoeppner, Indiana football coach. Condolences to family, friends and fans. Though Hoeppner had been sick for a while, this reminds me of when Northwestern's Randy Walker unexpectedly died a year ago in the summer. In an eerie coincidence, both were head coaches at Miami of Ohio before taking over their Big Ten rebuilding projects. There are several good remembrance posts about Hoeppner. Here's one.

Bias, belatedly: Maybe it was because I was on the road yesterday, but I missed mentioning the anniversary of the death of Len Bias, my favorite player of all time. His death remains the most visceral sports memory of my lifetime.

-- D.S.

Tuesday 06/19 A.M. Quickie:Tiger, Kobe, KG, Chone, Harold Reynolds, More!

Tiger is a Dad: Varsity Dad Alert! Elin gave birth to daughter Sam Alexis Woods overnight. No WONDER Tiger was distracted at the Open on Sunday.

Hot Blogger Bracket, Round 4: I'm up against Jon Pyle of Pyle of List, the toughest matchup yet. Click here to vote (Yes, for me: Because self-promotion is HOT!)

MLB: Start snitchin'! Jason Giambi is going to TALK. To George Mitchell, according to a report in today's NY Daily News. Then, presumably, to anyone who will hear his sob story about ratting out his fellow players -- and perhaps including a bit of a hedge, insisting that he had no other choice and wanted to put it behind him...yada yada yada...naming names?

"The Kobe Video Guys": I love this amateur video situation, where a fan is trying to sell the footage of Kobe ripping the Lakers as recently as late last month.

In this era of YouTube, it's refreshing to see someone trying to make money from amateur footage. It'll be available in complete form online – free – soon enough.

The "Video Guys" want to release it, too. HoopsWorld.com has seen it and helped get the word out there about it. Here's more, from NBA Fanhouse.

More NBA: KG to the Celtics? I covered why this works for both teams in a late-day post yesterday. Check it out below, or click here.

Pac-Man Fever: Given his latest mess, Pac-Man Jones quite simply might be the most mythic "F-up" in NFL history. Just when you think his legacy is complete, he goes further.

CWS: You know I love a good superlative, so "longest game ever" certainly qualifies. Congrats to UC-Irvine, which beat CS-Fullerton in a record 5 hours and 40 minutes (13 innings).

Orioles fire manager Sam Perlozzo: Hard not to see THAT one coming. I think Joe Girardi is the obvious choice. "Best available" and all that, right?

NBA Draft: Jeff Green staying in. He'll be rewarded with a Top 10 spot.

Meanwhile, Greg Oden will meet with the Blazers today: I know there are all sorts of rumors that Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard likes Durant, but he'd be insane to pass on Oden.

NFL: LaVar Arrington hurt in motorcycle accident: When will athletes learn that driving a hog just ain't worth the risk?

NFL Concussion Summit: It's too serious to joke about, but this event lends itself to the easy joke. I'll avoid it, but I'll bet others will jump right in.

MLB Stud: Chone Figgins, who racked up SIX hits, including a rare walk-off triple. Six hits?

MLB Dud: Curt Schilling, giving up 6 ER on 10 hits in 4.1 IP, with zero strikeouts, notable because Schilling had pitched 348 straight games with at least one strikeout. Most MLB starting pitchers probably do, too.

MLB Stud, Record: Apparently, Jim Thome is the career interleague home-run leader. That's quite a title. (Glove Stud: Jermaine Dye, same game.)

Prince Fielder: 26 HR and counting. He's the new Ryan Howard, who was the new Prince Fielder. How meta...

MLB Punishments: Derrek Lee and Chris Young were suspended five games each for their part in a weekend melee. Seems a little long, but whatever.

USFL Reunion: Who WOULDN'T want to go this weekend?

Must-Read: Deadspin's interview with Harold Reynolds.

-- D.S.

KG to Celtics? Hot Rumor of the Day

Worth a new, separate post (after 5 p.m. no less), if only for the "fun" value: KG to the Celtics? Henry from TrueHoop has the latest (via Chad Ford). I'm sure I'll have more tomorrow leading the A.M. Quickie post, but still... here's my initial thoughts:

T'wolves: I have been saying for years now that they simply aren't going to win big with KG anymore, so they might as well implode it as "KG's team" and start over. At least then, there's hope. This deal completely rebuilds the team:

Consider Randy Foye, now with Al Jefferson and Gerald Green (plus Telfair and Ratliff), along with the No. 5 (Boston's) and No. 7 (own) draft picks, which gives them two of the following six players: Al Horford, Brandan Wright, Corey Brewer, Mike Conley Jr., Jeff Green, Joakim Noah. Again: They may not win now, but they deliver the all-important hope.

Celtics: Again, I think they should be jettisoning Paul Pierce and starting over (they're already near rock-bottom as it is), but as long as they're going for "win-now," getting KG to pair with Pierce (and Rondo) makes the Celtics a playoff team in the East, where it has been proven all you need is one star and slop to win the conference. Losing the No. 5 pick? Who cares? They're trying to win NOW, remember?

If nothing else, it provides a little sizzle to an already super-intriguing NBA offseason.

-- D.S.

Monday 06/18 A.M. Quickie:Tiger, Kobe, Bonds, Streaks, Bloggers, More!

Angel Cabrera wins U.S. Open: No figure in sports has made smoking more cool since Jim Leyland.

What's not to love: Cabrera nearly choked it away after bogeys on 16 and 17, but instead he held off Tiger for his first major title (with Tiger missing the key putt on 18, no less).

Meanwhile, as reader Lew astutely pointed out something in an email to me this morning that I've been tracking for years: As we live in a "Tiger vs. The Field" world, the story will always be when Tiger loses, not when someone else wins.

(Seriously, where was the Tiger Magic on 17 or 18 when one birdie would have sent the Open to a playoff and two would have won the Open for Tiger? He must have been distracted a smidgen by impending fatherhood.)

Kobe Watch: Over the weekend, he reiterated he wanted to be traded...

...And I reiterated that it's in the best interests of the Lakers to rebuild without him and best interests of Kobe to find his way to a team in the East, given the way that LeBron was able to win the conference with mere scraps around him.

How do we know he's serious about a trade: He posted about it on his own Web site, which now has more authority than when he says something through one of his designated sports-media mouthpieces. (Apparently, this post from Kobe isn't new, just a new date on it. I don't know who is lamer: Kobe or the mainstream media jumping on his old post like it's new.)

Bonds: 748...

More MLB Wknd: I expect Derrek Lee and Chris Young will find themselves suspended today... Orioles lose 8th straight... With all the talk about "Sosa 600," here's a good read about it.

MLB Stud: Very Special Minor League Edition! Brandon Watson of the Columbus Clippers broke a 95-year-old International League record with a hit in his 43rd straight game.

NBA Draft Decisions, Player Edition: Are Jeff Green and Spencer Hawes staying in the draft? Even though both could probably move up a few spots by sticking around until next year, they are both Lottery locks.

NBA Draft Decisions, Team Edition: The biggest drama of the draft isn't shaping up as "Oden or Durant?" (because it seems so clear-cut), but "Who's No. 3?" which in this draft is like being No. 1 in any other.

That puts the decision in the hands of the Hawks, and the buzz is that they like Al Horford, who I agree is the next-best prospect after Oden and Durant. And he's the most NBA-ready player in the draft class.

NASCAR: My most intriguing angle about Dale Earnhardt Jr's move from DEI to Hendrick is his number switch, given the iconic value of car numbers in NASCAR. DEI says they might bargain to give up No. 8.

Super Bowl: Is Jordin Sparks going to sing the National Anthem at next year's Super Bowl in Arizona? It's in her home-state and it's on Fox, so it makes sense.

Dating: Venus Williams and Bryant McKinnie may or may not be an item, but can we all agree that their children would be the most unstoppable force in sports history?

Drag Racing Tragedy: What a tragic way for a smaller sport to make national news. Condolences to those affected.

F1: Lewis Hamilton wins again!

Swimming: The sport's oldest record – the women's 1500m freestyle (Janet Evans in 1988) – was shattered by Kate Ziegler, who beat the old mark by 9 seconds. Amazing that the longest-standing record in the sport was 19 years old.

Hot Blogger Bracket: Moving on to Round 4, with the field's obvious juggernaut being Matt Jones from Kentucky Radio Blog. I don't think I seem him in the next round, but whoever it is will be tough.

Sports (New) Media: Obviously, I'm a fan of forward-thinking traditional media, so I was really excited to hear that the Oregonian had struck up a partnership with the blog, DraftKevinDurant, heading into the NBA Draft next week. Great move by both sides.

Navel-gazing: Erin Gurney from Ballhype facilitated a really interesting sports-blogger roundtable between me, Dan Steinberg, Michael Rand and Pete Abraham. Here's the link.

-- D.S.

Sunday 06/17 A.M. (Very) Quickie:Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! Nothing like that Father's Day 5:30 a.m. "wake-up call"...

MLB: Oh, now THIS is a rare one... the combined Stud AND Dud. And it goes to: Carlos Zambrano, who pitched a two-hitter (stud), but lost the game (dud), 1-0, that featured a brawl-er-oo.

Speaking of 1-0, it sounds like the Red Sox' 1-0 win over Bonds and the Giants at Fenway was a great one, with Matsuzaka pitching his best game as a MLB'er and Manny eclipsing Barry.

US Open: Here comes Tiger...

NBA: Kobe reiterates that he wants to be traded. I still contend that the Lakers can be better without him. CAN be better. But, in the process, will they gut the team that Kobe will be joining, thus negating the value of acquiring him? Of course, if Kobe is in the East, he could win the conference with him and a bunch of bozos. Just look at LeBron.

Duke LAX DA Mike Nifong disbarred: Wow, the Karmic Payback of the Decade.

There probably was a ton I missed this morning, of course. Feel free to contribute to the cause in the Comments.

Again, hope all the dads out there have an awesome Father's Day. I'm getting ready to open the gift from my son right now...

(Dad's-Day UPDATE: A homemade shirt with his finger-painting and hand-prints! There is nothing like the "effort gift," especially from a 1-year-old.)

Oh, and there are only a few hours left in Round 3 of the Hot Blogger Bracket. Have you voted (for me) yet? Click here for the ballot.

-- D.S.