Sunday 07/08 A.M. (Very) Quickie:Buehrle, Belinelli, Venus, Bill Maas, Eva, More!

A-Rod to play in All-Star Game: Or so he's saying now. With the game in San Francisco, I wonder if he'll be the player to get the most jeers from the crowd. (Because it won't be Bonds.)

MLB Stud, Pitcher: Mark Buehrle, who pitched 8 scoreless in what might have been his final start in front of White Sox fans before the team trades him.

MLB Stud, Batter: Prince Fielder, who heads into the All-Star break (and his first ASG appearance -- a start, no less) with a 2HR game in a Brewers loss to the Nats.

NBA Summer: It's Belinelli's World. Marco Belinelli: 37 points. First impressions are important. Compare that to Oden or even Durant and you begin to realize that in Nellie's Golden State system, Belinelli could end up being the steal of the draft.

Here's a pretty detailed breakdown of his debut, via HoopsWorld. (I disagree with their opening contention that it's "only" Summer League. If scoring in Summer League was so easy, why couldn't Durant do it more effectively?)

More: Yi: 9 points on 2/14 FG shooting... Spencer Hawes: 19 (9/14 FG) and 7 reb in SL debut... Pistons' rookie trio (Stuckey, Afflalo, Mejia) combine for 40.

Venus wins Wimbledon: The Williams Era returns?

NASCAR changes name to "Sprint Cup," which is just about the coolest name for an auto-racing product as there can be.

Bad weekend for Bill Maas: The Fox NFL on-air guy was charged with drug possession and weapons charges. Yikes. From the AP report: "The search turned up a .22-caliber revolver, five grams of suspected marijuana, six grams of suspected cocaine and 28 pills of Ecstasy, according to police." That ain't just playing grab-ass with the make-up lady.

Congrats to Tony and Eva. They are the most media-whorish of the celebrity-sports couples, but I wouldn't say most beloved. Maybe in France. Maybe.

-- D.S.

Saturday 07/07 A.M. (Very) Quickie:Summer League Debuts, Morneau, Wimby, More!

Kevin Durant's Summer League debut: The good? 16 points. The bad? On 5-of-17 FG shooting. And that's against SUMMER LEAGUE DEFENSE.

Greg Oden also made his debut, even less auspicious: 6 points (on only 4 shots) and only 2 rebounds in 20 minutes, with – if I read the NBA box score right – 10 personal fouls. That makes him four points shy of a double-double. (Meanwhile, LaMarcus Aldridge? 26 and 11. Damn.)

Meanwhile, Yi had 23 points (7/15 FG) in an 86-77 loss to the Grizzlies. (Mike Conley: 12 pts on 4/6 FG.)

Why doesn't the NBA sell Summerleague jerseys? You'd think that would be a terrific ancillary revenue stream of merchandise.

Vick Watch: The Feds say Vick's property was the site of housing and training pit-fighting dogs, at the very least. Things don't look good.

MLB Stud: Justin Morneau, who hit 3 HR in a Twins thrashing of the White Sox last night. Wasn't it just a week or so ago when we were wondering about the state of Morneau's health? Not anymore.

MLB Dud: Neifi Perez becomes the first MLB player hit with the suspension related to the ban on stimulants. Now, where is my 5th cup of coffee this morning...

Griffey hits HR No. 586, which ties him with Frank Robinson for 6th on the all-time list. Damn he's in rare air.

Wimbledon: Venus is into the final, and with Justine Henin upset in the other semi, the path is clear for a(nother) Williams Wimby title.

Nice to see Tiger show up at his own tournament.

Ooh: Have you heard? It's 07/07/07! Most Overrated. Numerological Gimmick. Ever.

-- D.S.

Friday 07/06 A.M. Quickie:Tour de France, Final Vote, Verlander, Tiger, More!

Tour de Farce 2007: No Lance. No Landis. I'd say the intrigue is about the TdF being "wide open," but we thought it would be that way LAST year too, didn't we?

After the fact, it turned out that – yet again – cheating was at the heart of the race. It seems like a million years ago that this event was a quirky-cool must-see for the casual American fan.

(It has to be asked: If stardom -- Lance -- or scandal -- Landis -- is the only reason a casual fan would pay attention to this event, is the Tour de France better off with something scandalous happening? As far as capturing wide attention in America, I think it might be.)

MLB All-Star Final Vote: The fans have spoken! As predicted here, Hideki Okajima won the AL's extra All-Star spot. As not predicted here, Chris Young won the NL's spot. (Travis Liles has a really interesting post: Should a player suspension that runs across the ASG impact a player's ASG availability? Hmm...)

But it's a nice consolation prize for Pat Neshek that he emerged as the bloggers' choice as one of the most cult-ish MLB players.

(There's a fascinating point to be made about Neshek's ability to go from quasi-anonymous middle reliever to blogger sensation with tons of "cred." It's a lesson for any/all athletes and follows the Paul Shirley model: You don't have to be a superstar like Gilbert Arenas to increase your visibility and popularity among fans through emerging media.)

MLB Stud, Team: Tigers. A sweep of the Indians put Detroit just a game back in the Central. What a race this will be.

12-game winner CC Sabathia was beaten by 10-game winner Justin Verlander, in a matchup between possible AL All-Star starters. (My money's on Verlander; just look who is doing the picking for the AL.)

Unsurprisingly, Barry Bonds will not participate in the Home Run Derby. Oh, but if he did! (In front of Bonds-friendly fans in San Francisco, it's not even that much of a p.r. risk for him. Injury-wise, though...)

Kobe apologizes to Kupchak: So much for Bryant's impossibly hard-line stance. And, yet, the Lakers are no closer to fulfilling Kobe's mandate to create a contender than before.

Tiger's Tournament: It would be so NOT cool if Tiger missed the cut at his own party. (And stop the easy blame of the new parenthood!)

NBA Summer League Mania! Tips off today, with your first chance to see Kevin Durant, Mike Conley and Greg Oden. Oh, and Yi, but playing for Team China, not Team Milwaukee.

Grant Hill signs with the Suns: That might mean that Hill could finally get out of the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Juan Carlos Navarro Watch: Signs are pointing toward the Wizards trading Navarro, using him to unload a dead-weight contract like Brendan Haywood's or Etan Thomas'. I am kind of upset by this. The Wizards' bench production was anemic, and JCN is one of the most dynamic Euro guards ever produced. Yes: By all means, give him away.

Youth Olympics in 2010: Not sure how they'll find the athletes aged 14-18 (aren't a bunch of them REAL Olympians already?), but it's just a matter of time before we have our first PED scandal.

Reggie Bush to be in TV booth for Beckham's MLS debut: I can't knock this marketing ploy. MLS needs all the help it can get (yes, even with Beckham's star power). Is it a little skeevy that they are marketing partners for adidas? Slightly. But Bush adds a little spice to the mix. Now, no NFL fan who isn't an MLS fan will tune in just because of Bush's appearance -- and avid MLS fans might resent the play for casual eyeballs -- so it nets out as a bit of a no-man's-land move.

The mysterious death of former Florida DB Avery Atkins is the tragic end of a really sad story involving a very promising player whose future was derailed early on and spiraled down from there.

NFL Offseason: Belichick moving to NFC? Ah, ProFootballTalk... what would we fans do without you? Spicing up the slowest stretch of the year in NFL news, they float the idea that Belichick might be done with the Pats after 2007 and moving on to the NFC in '08. Make this happen!

Random, but kind of fascinating: An interview with the Snorg T-shirt girl. (h/t: Winning the Turnover Battle)

Chestnut beats Kobayashi, Cont'd: What does it say that even as the NBA ratings plummet, the ratings for events like this one skyrocket?

It says that the most sustainable model for niche-sport success (which now includes the NBA, like it or not) is to create a once-a-year event model.

That's why the NBA Draft or the NBA All-Star Weekend -- or even the traditional Xmas Day game (usually the biggest and most compelling game of the regular season) -- are, proportionally, way more viscerally enjoyable than the NBA Finals.

-- D.S.

Thursday 07/05 A.M. Quickie:Chesnut, Rockies, Darko, Tiger, Roenick, More!

Chesnut beats Kobayashi for Hot Dog Eating title: I was trying to think about a "real"-sport analogue for yesterday's greatest moment in competitive eating history.

Consider the who: The sport's greatest legend, a quasi-mysterious foreigner, against his biggest rival, an American upstart. The when and where: Coney Island on the Fourth of July, live on national TV. And the performance: BOTH competitors shattered the previous world record, then the challenger pulled away from the champ to take the title.

If comp-eating wasn't such a farce (by design, mind you), this result would be cinematic in scope. It's like a mash-up of the first four "Rocky" movies.

Think about the greatest game or performance or moment in any "real" sport -- then consider them all happening at the same time. That's what happened yesterday at Coney Island.

And that's why, as laughable as it sounds, I have trouble coming up with an analogue from traditional sports history that compares to what happened yesterday with Chesnut and Kobayashi.

The idea that it was unprecedented in sports history gets choked down like that 66th hot dog at the 12-minute mark.

UPDATE: But what about the puke?! I totally neglected to mention the part where Kobayashi vomited -- on-camera, no less. That particular part of this "greatest" moment is apparently not allowed to air on ESPN, even though "reversals of fortune" -- particularly one of this magnitude -- is (a) part of the charm ("charm") of competitive eating and (b) only adds to the drama of yesterday's results. Is it because the clip is gross? Or because, technically, Kobayashi should have been disqualified for the R.O.F.? Show the clip! (Watch it here. This will be the most YouTube-able moment of the event.)

Will A-Rod skip the All-Star Game? If the best thing for his team is for him to spend the three days resting, he should. The fans who made gave him the mega-vote totals will understand. The worst thing he could do is force it, play in the ASG, then end up pushing back his full recovery. Just show up to SF to enjoy the spectacle.

In case you missed it from Tuesday night: Bonds 751.

MLB Stud, Team: The Rockies. Between sweeping the Yankees last month and now the Mets this week, who would have guessed that the best baseball team in New York would be based in Colorado?

MLB Stud, Player: Fred Lewis, the rookie filled in for Barry Bonds and hit a grand slam, his second of the season (a first for a Giants rookie).

OK, OK: Hunter Pence. There, I said it.

Durant Era begins for Sonics: Seattle signs their franchise cornerstone, along with running-mate Jeff Green. Now, with both Durant and Oden signed, we can look forward to their summer-league matchup next week, which will arguably be the most hotly anticipated NBA summer-league game in league history.

Will the Mavs get KG? Cuban wants him, but I still think that KG ends up in Golden State -- if anywhere.

NBA Free Agency: In case you missed it yesterday, I declared Darko Milicic the most intriguing remaining free agent of the season. Despite an early career that didn't live up to the pre-draft hype, he still has the tantalizing potential of a 22-year-old 7-footer with 3-ish years of NBA experience (including a ring!) (a) Who will sign him, and (b) how much will they (over-)pay?

Juan Carlos Navarro Watch: As a Wizards fan, I would be really ticked if they traded his rights, now that he's finally available to come over from Europe to play in the NBA.

Wimbledon: Venus crushes Maria, but Serena is ousted on that bad wheel.

Hockey: Jeremy Roenick retired. So I guess the question is how quickly he gets himself that TV gig he has so obviously wanted all these years. He rivals Curt Schilling (surprisingly quiet during his stint on the DL) for media whoredom. Not that that's a bad thing.

Olympics: Sochi, Russia was awarded the 2014 Winter Olympics. Hell, by then, the climate problems will have made it better for the Summer Games than the Winter ones.

Tiger Watch: Let the speculation run wild over whether new fatherhood will hurt Tiger's focus, particularly merely three weeks into the experience. Hell, I went back to writing the Quickie within a week of the kid being born. (Wait... that isn't the same thing?)

-- D.S.

Wednesday 07/04 (Very) Quickie:Have a Happy (Mid-Week) July 4th!

Update: Joey Chesnut wins Nathan's Hot Dog Championship! In what was arguably the greatest moment in competitive-eating history, Chesnut out-dueled Kobayashi 66-63, with both competitors shattering Chesnut's then-world-record of 59.5 dogs. Wow. Spectacular, with the American ripping the title from his rival -- and the sport's biggest legend. Here's a live-blog report from Gothamist.

Bonds: 751! Everyone keeps using TYING Aaron as the number ("only four away...") but isn't the relevant number FIVE, the number he needs to BREAK Aaron's record?

MLB All-Star Final Vote: I wonder if Carlos Zambrano's 8K-3H win over the Nats will help his cause. I have him pegged as the NL's F.V. rep.

AL Final Vote. Three words: Vote. Pat. Neshek. There is no dispute that he must be the sports bloggers' (and blog readers') choice. That link above is a must-read as to why.

Daddy Tiger Woods hosts his own golf tournament, in my hometown no less: He even explained why their baby is named "Sam" -- it's what Tiger's dad used to call him when he was a kid. Awww...

Sonics to hire PJ Carlesimo: I'm sorry, but I expected a little bit more of an innovative choice from 30-year-old GM Sam Presti than to imply hit the NBA's Coaching Recyling Bin.

NBA Free Agency: Billups re-signs with the Pistons, in a desperate bid by Detroit to stay remotely relevant as either a Finals contender or merely a power in the East. But if LeBron can oust them from the playoffs with slop around him, what good will an older Billups do?

Darko... freed! The most intriguing NBA free agent is Darko Milicic, who was made an unrestricted free agent by the Magic (who made their own splash with Rashard Lewis). It's going to be very interesting to see who lands Darko and how much they pay for him -- or overpay. Then again, he is a 22-year-old 7-footer who averaged 8 ppg, 5 rpg and 1.8 bpg in 24 mpg. He still has a ton of promise.

Juan Carlos Navarro coming to NBA: Buried in a notes column about the Wizards hiring an assistant coach to focus on -- WTF? -- "de-fense" is a small item worth noting:

Phenomenal Euro PG Juan Carlos Navarro has been let out of his contract and can join the NBA next season. The Wizards own his rights and have been waiting on him for years. Suddenly, the Wizards' backcourt off the bench – Navarro and first-round pick Nick Young -- is pretty strong.

Wimbledon: 64 matches behind? Yikes.

Soccer: Freddy Adu scores 3 in USA's U-20 win over Poland.

Happy 4th of July, everyone. If you get the day off, hope you're enjoying it.

-- D.S.

Tuesday 07/03 A.M. Quickie:Rocket, Ryan, Rashard, Recruiting, More!

Clemens: Joins the 350-Win Club. Now with eight members, it's more exclusive than the 3,000 (Hit) Club or the 500 (HR) Club -- but less exclusive than the 600 (HR) Club.

The Home Run Derby gets a boost: No, Barry Bonds won't be participating (if only he would!), but defending champ Ryan Howard – the reigning Face of Baseball – will be. (Phillies fans cringe at the thought of him injuring himself.)

Update: I realize I totally forgot MLB Studs/Duds today. I leave it to you, but also leave you with this: Ben Francisco! (Get on that bandwagon already!)

MLB All-Star, Cont'd: I just want to say that I sure am glad that the Commenters are here to deliver phenomenal MLB analysis when I can do no better than my usual shallow contributions. If you haven't looked through the (mostly) All-Star comments from yesterday's a.m. post, I highly recommend it. (Scroll past post to Comments section.)

Hargrove resigns, cont'd: I don't know about you, but I'm happy to embrace the various conspiracy theories floating around as to why Hargrove would quit the Mariners just as he was winning.

What's bigger news: That A-Rod injured his hamstring last night or that his wife wore a tank top with an obscenity on it on Sunday?

NBA Free Agency: I think Rashard Lewis ends up on the Magic – and that makes Orlando a hell of a good young team in the East. Howard and Lewis? Wow.

UPDATE: Rashard Lewis to the Magic is apparently a done-deal, but Orlando is going to give him the MAX?! That's a stretch for a player who won't be the team's No. 1 star.

Oden signs contract with Blazers: Hat-tip to the NBA's rookie-salary scale, which makes signing easy. As does a low-key No. 1 pick.

More NBA: Ray Allen's veteran professionalism will really make the Celtics a more admirable Lottery team in 2008.

Here's to Derek Fisher, who was released by the Jazz and will now be able to spend more time with his sick daughter.

Wimbledon: The only match that might get my attention before the finals is something like Venus-vs-Maria. Ask and ye shall receive...

College Hoops Recruiting: Even AOL Fanhouse has picked up the amazing story of the 1-year-old who verbally committed to play college basketball for Florida.

Meanwhile, Billy Gillispie racks up another rising 10th-grader for Kentucky's 2010 recruiting class. It would be laughable if I didn't know every other college coach wouldn't do the exact same thing.)

ProFootballTalk vs. Arena League: Hmm, that's kind of an interesting battle, actually.

Heads-up: The next installment of the Varsity Letters Reading Series is Thursday night in NYC! To consider: What is your own personal biggest "must-do" sports event for your lifetime?

Summer Fashion: The must-have T-shirts for the summer come from Mothering Hut. (My favorite is "DNP: Coach's Decision.") Check them all out here. (Yes, Mothering Hut was my collaborator on the Florida "&" T-shirts. No Gator fan should be without!)

-- D.S.

Monday 07/02 A.M. Quickie:Bonds, More All-Stars, NBA/NHL Free Agency, More!

Barry Bonds will be an All-Star: And impressively, too. He came back from a 119,000-vote deficit in the vote's final days to finish 123,000 votes ahead of Alfonso Soriano for the NL's third outfield spot. Who says the fans can't get it right? This was the ONLY choice to make.

The upshot: Bonds isn't hated NEARLY as much as the media will have you believe, AND fans – even if they hate Bonds – still want to see him in the All-Star Game in San Francisco in this year, of any year.

His selection -- and his appearance, particularly among his adoring, see-no-evil home fans of San Francisco and particularly given that he is ready to set the all-time career home-run record any day now -- is by far the biggest storyline of this year's All-Star Game.

Comments question: Which player(s) got screwed worst by the All-Star selection? And which All-Star was least deserving?

In the AL, there are few novel names among the starters beyond the usual suspects you could have predicted before the season started. (Frankly, among reserves, there are very few you wouldn't have predicted before the season there, either.)

Nice to see: Gil Meche, particularly after all the grief he and the Royals took in the offseason for signing him to such a big-ass deal.

In the NL, Prince Fielder and Russ Martin crash what is otherwise the usual suspects among the starters. For the reserves, it's hard to believe that the left side of the infield, league-wide, is so thin that they can only support ONE reserve SS and ONE reserve 3B. (C'mon: Where's Ryan Braun?)

Nice to see: Dmitri Young, whose career seemed irrevocably imploded as recently as last season -- now resurrected as the leader of the Nats.

ASG starting pitchers: I think Peavy is a no-brainer in the NL. In the AL, I could see Jim Leyland using his boy Justin Verlander, but the real starter should be Dan Haren.

"Final Vote" Mania! My favorite MLB marketing gimmick of the last I-don't-know-how-long:

In the AL, it's Bonderman, Halladay, Escobar, Neshek and Okajima. (They're all lucky there are no White Sox involved.) Halladay is the biggest name, but I'm betting on Okajima to upend traditional xenophobia/racism (Oh, fine. I hear you, Commenters.) The biggest thing going against him is that he's on the Red Sox.

In the NL, I think it will be Carlos Zambrano, over Gorzelanny, Oswalt, reigning NL Cy Young Brandon Webb and Chris Young the pitcher. If Hanley Ramirez was on this ballot, I think he'd win (and would deserve to win).

Comments: Who are your picks for the "Final Vote" in each league?

MLB Stud: Tim Lincecum, the Giants rookie SP who struck out 12 batters -- a career-high in his admittedly short career.

MLB Dud: Mike Hargrove, who resigned as Mariners manager because he couldn't hack it anymore. Let's hope another team does NOT give him another chance as part of the MLB Manager Recycling Program. (For example, the Reds, after they fired Jerry Narron.)

NBA Free Agency: Nets re-sign Vince Carter. I don't care how much money it was for -- it was a bad move. I understand the guy is popular (Wait: to whom, exactly? His popularity is a mystery to me.), but is it worth mortgaging the future of the franchise for it?

Rashard Lewis Watch: The Rockets want him. The Magic want him. The Knicks want him. Let's eliminate the Knicks right now, right?

I think the NBA Free Agent to Watch is Gerald Wallace, who is arguably not just a better value than the rest of the top-tier, but a better player, period, given his age, versatility and recent production.

NBA Relocation: Jason Kapono is taking his conscience-free 3-point shooting from Miami to Toronto, presumably where their international-friendly style probably fits his one-dimensional strengths best.

NHL Free Agency: Crazy start. See what a little extra cap room can do for player movement? In another era, Chris Drury's move to New York to play for the Rangers would have made him a national sports star. As it stands, he's still best-known for the Little League thing. The Rangers picked up the Devils' Scott Gomez from across the river, too.

Chris Benoit Murders: In a horrifying new development, it looks like Benoit may have used his "signature finishing move" to kill his own son. This is sick beyond words.

New Varsity Dad post up this morning: A parody off the story of 14-year-old Ryan Boatright committing to play hoops for USC. Here's the link.

-- D.S.

Sunday 07/01 A.M. (Very) Quickie

MLB Stud: Carlos Beltran, who had his second 2-HR game...in a row.

Study of the Week: Southern-born pitchers more likely to plunk batters.

(Rare) kudos to Scott Boras: I think you'll hear a lot about his plan for a best-of-9 World Series, including a first-weekend bonanza of awards, Hall of Fame and Games 1/2 at a neutral site.

NBA Free Agency: The Rockets want Rashard Lewis... Vince Carter opted out of his Nets deal, but it still looks like he'll re-sign with the team (ugh)... Grant Hill to the Suns? Great match.

NBA Draft, Cont'd: I like Kevin Durant, too, but what all the Durant-slurpers tend to NOT mention while they are doing said slurping is this:

If Durant is so transcendentally talented, why couldn't he lead his Texas team out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament against a merely good USC team?

I have yet to hear from Durant's fans in the media any sort of explanation of the startling discrepancy between Durant's presumptive ability to lead his NBA team to an NBA title and his actual inability to lead his college team merely into college hoops' Sweet 16.

After all: Carmelo didn't just score and rebound prolifically as a freshman, but he led his team to the national title. And it's not like Melo has been able to replicate that in the pros. (And he's got a better team around him than Durant will have...and likely will have for YEARS.)

Durant will be a great pro, in the same way he was a great college player. But it's a huge difference between being a great player and being a champion -- at either level.

So: Anyone get an iPhone? Or know anyone who did? Any early reviews?

-- D.S.

Saturday 06/30 A.M. (Very) Quickie:Bonds 750, NBA Draft Hangover, "Huffing," More

Bonds: 750. With six HR to go to break Aaron's record, it is SO on. Will he break it this week? Unlikely, but you know it'll happen this month, instantly making it THE sports story of an otherwise particularly slow July. Nothing else is going on. Expect overkill.

The question now is whether it will happen before or after the All-Star Break. If Bonds still needs a handful of HR by the All-Star Game, it will be all anyone will want to talk about at the ASG. And how can MLB *NOT* include Bonds in the game?

NBA Draft Hangover: Jason Kent from the terrific FanIQ emailed me with a question yesterday that I found to be one of the most fascinating subplots of the first 24 hours after the NBA Draft:

How do Bulls fans who spent the last 1-2 years with an opinion of Joakim Noah ranging from mild annoyance to full-blown enmity do a 180 and suddenly root for him because he's suddenly "theirs?"

Here's what I replied to him:

A few thoughts:

(1) When Noah was a freshman, not playing at all and mostly sulking, I disliked him entirely.

(2) At the start of his sophomore year (two seasons ago), I sat in MSG with my wife watching the Gators foreshadow their title by beating Wake and Syracuse. I couldn't stand Noah. My wife said he's going to be a star. Shows what I know.

(3) By the 2006 NCAA Tournament, I had come to appreciate his energy and selflessness, his team orientation. He's obnoxious, yes, but his life is an error of enthusiasm, which is entirely forgivable.

(4) End of 2006 Tournament: I believe.

(5) 2007 season and tournament: I find him a little too over-the-top (a game-killing technical waiting to happen), but he always rode the fine line. He maintained that team-first orientation and, despite (a) more scrutiny and loathing than any other player this year and (b) a decreased role within the team as his teammates got a lot better, he was a star on a double-title team.

Here's the upshot: When he's theirs, you hate him. When he's yours, you love him. I'm thoroughly enjoying watching Bulls fans who previously hated him beyond belief rationalizing how to like him.

And people call ME a Bandwagon Gator fan!!!

Here's Jason's blog post about it.

24 hours after the Draft, a few course corrections from my knee-jerk reactions to how the draft unfolded:

• As a Wizards fan, I feel a lot better about Nick Young (mainly because I heard from so many people assuring me he was a great addition).
• Danny Ainge is still a moron and the Celtics are still destined for continued mediocrity. (And I'm still not sold on Michael Jordan's trade for Jason Richardson, even/especially if he re-signs Gerald Wallace.)
• After all that pre-draft build-up, Greg Oden to the Blazers feels like the most obvious and natural fit in the world.
• I don't think Isiah is done yet, which is fun for the rest of us.
• I think Kevin Garnett ends up in... Oakland, playing for the Warriors.

NFL folds NFL Europe: Was it a worthy experiment or a Commissioner's indulgence? Predictable answer: A little of both.

I think the league finally understands its place in Europe, following the sold-out-in-an-hour Wembley Stadium experiment – a handful of games in Europe every season.

Actually, the NFL's plan to have each team play one regular-season game per season internationally is the best globalization strategy the league could probably deploy.

MLB Stud: Aubrey Huff, who hit for the cycle in an O's win (and reminded me of the multiple seasons in a row when I was fooled into drafting Huff on my fantasy team, only to be disappointed).

MLB Stud Rookie: Ben Francisco of the Indians. Walk-off debut!

MLB Move: Milton Bradley to the Padres.

Marketing Watch: Greg Oden will wear No. 52. I'm not sure it will sell well (even in Portland) because fans can't relate to post players like they can to guards and swingmen. My prediction for the most popular rookie jersey: Whatever Kevin Durant is wearing for Seattle.

-- D.S.

Friday 06/29 A.M. Quickie:Who Are the NBA Draft's Big Winners, Losers?

Who are last night's NBA Draft winners and losers? Let's see...

Blazers are the big winners: "Super-size" is more like it. How many players did they draft and/or acquire? It felt like more than they are allowed to carry on the roster.

Start with this: Greg Oden? Awesome. Franchise foundation. Trading for Channing Frye? A little too close to LaMarcus Aldridge, but I like the depth on the frontcourt. (And then all those draftees. Whew! Yes, I know I mentioned the Blazers having Derrick Byars for the last 90 minutes on the blog...and I was ERRONEOUS. He's on the Sixers. But who can't love the Finn?)

UPDATE: If you watch one piece of YouTube from the Draft, make it the return of Stephen A. Smith's Cheez Doodles hecklers (h/t: Deadspin). These guys are amazing. They dubbed Joakim Noah, "The People's Princess."

UPDATE 2: If you haven't weighed in yet, who is your early favorite for Rookie of the Year -- or, if you think it's Oden or Durant in a lock, your all-Rookie team? Is it so obvious that it's Oden, Durant, Conley... hmm...who ARE the other two?

Sonics win big with Durant: That alone would have made Seattle a huge winner. Then they ship off Ray Allen's shots and replace them with Jeff Green's versatility. I'm not as sold as others that Durant and Green complement each other so perfectly, but if experts like Thorpe and the Sonics GM Presti are convinced, I'll buy it: Green will thrive next to KD.

Gators get five players drafted: Worthy of a two-time NCAA champ and the best starting five in NCAA history. Horford to the Hawks was a no-brainer. Brewer to the T'wolves should give KG at least a little hope. Noah to the Bulls was inspired. Chicago will LOVE him. (Rovell says he's the biggest marketing winner of the draft.)

(Minnesota drafting Chris Richard to be Brewer's roommate was smart; he's a poor man's Udonis Haslem. And Taurean Green is a gamer; he's part of a way-too-crowded Blazers point guard situation, but I think he'll earn his spot. OK: So who wants Lee Humphrey?)

Knicks Trade: I give Isiah credit. Zach Randolph is the interior bruiser to Eddy Curry's big-softie style. (Yeah, they give up on Frye, but David Lee was better than Frye anyway.) They take on Randolph's monster contract, but that's par for the course for Isiah.

Michael Jordan screws up (yet) another draft: I am no fan of Brandan Wright, but trading cheap young size for an expensive older guard is ludicrous. (Hello: Gerald Wallace?!)

The Celtics make a wrong move to win now: Teaming Ray Allen with Paul Pierce makes me wonder how this isn't anything different than "Sonics East," with Pierce playing the role of Rashard Lewis to Ray Allen's designated gunner. What a mistake. That team isn't winning the East, and I'd be surprised if they made the playoffs next season.

Milwauk-Yi: Pretty good marketing slogan, no? Wait: You say Yi's handlers don't want him playing there? And that the team hasn't really seen him work out? Eh, who cares: It's China. And haven't you heard? The NBA in China is going to be bigger than the NBA in the U.S. (No, seriously: I'll be surprised if he ever puts on a Bucks uniform. Way to go, Larry Harris.)

More picks I liked: Mike Conley (Grizzlies...c'mon: who didn't?); Acie Law (Hawks -- ditto); Marco Belinelli (Warriors); Morris Almond (Jazz); Derrick Byars (Sixers, though he's yet another swingman). I'm a sucker for "team fit."

More picks I didn't like: Nick Young (Wizards); Wilson Chandler (Knicks); Alando Tucker (Suns). Happy to be proven wrong.

Meanwhile: For a draft so touted for its plethora of big men, didn't it feel like all those swingmen sort of blurred together? How many teams got anything more than incrementally better through the draft itself? Portland. Seattle. Atlanta (maybe).

Draft Fashion: My "Best Dressed" of the night was an easy one – Joakim Noah. Original, innovative... and only he could have pulled it off.

The Head Chick in Charge has the entire fashion report on the night right here from her live-blog last night. If you haven't read it yet, scroll down or click here.

Lost in the NBA Draft Mania...

Frank Thomas hits HR No. 500: Joins exclusive club and punches his ticket for the Hall of Fame. (And then he celebrated by getting ejected from the game. Classy!)

Craig Biggio gets Hit No. 3000: Another exclusive club. Another Hall of Fame ticket punched.

Michelle Wie continues to struggle: To say the least. A first-round 82 (tying her worst score ever) in the first round of the U.S. Open.

Hockey Hall of Fame: Mark Messier was one of the great no-brainers I can think of. One of the biggest personalities in NHL history, too.

Kobe Video: Eh. What was all that fuss about?

Cold Pizza sexual harassment lawsuit against Jay Crawford and Woody Paige: That's just not good.

-- D.S.

2007 NBA Draft Live-Blog/Live-Comment!

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Thursday 06/28 A.M. Quickie:2007 NBA Mock Draft, Rumors, KSK B-day, More!

NBA Draft tonight: Here we go. Tonight marks the most stocked and intriguing and potentially seismic NBA Draft of the post-KG Era, if not ever.

The main storylines: Oden vs. Durant (sounds like that's over). Three Gators in the Top 10 (an NBA Draft first to have three players from the same team in the Top 10). Yi flexing China's market power over the NBA. Versatile forwards, dovetailing with the "new" NBA. Three quality point guards, dovetailing with another hot NBA trend. Which unlikely player will shoot up the draft board? Which player will have a Brady Quinn-like plummet? I really do love the NBA Draft. Hope abounds.

UPDATE: Listen to me with the Basketball Jones guys on their latest podcast. (The Jones podcast is the best sports podcast online -- I was so excited to join in today.)

My 2007 NBA Mock Draft: One of the biggest cop-outs in mock draft-dom is claiming you're picking who a team SHOULD take, rather than who they WILL take. So I'm saying here's who these teams WILL take:

1. Blazers: Kevin Durant
Yes, despite the "reports"
2. Sonics: Greg Oden
Shocker! Seattle gladly takes him
3. Hawks: Al Horford
Warning: SEEMS like a no-brainer
4. Grizzlies: Mike Conley
Best PG, best player available
5. Celtics: Yi Jianlian
And fans in Boston freak out
6. Bucks: Corey Brewer
Designated LeBron-defender
7. T'wolves: Joakim Noah
KG staying, will need energy guy
8. Bobcats: Jeff Green
G'town was a Brand Jordan school
9. Bulls: Julian Wright
Chicago stays local, versatile
10. Kings: Al Thornton
The old man of the draft class
11. Hawks: Javaris Crittenton
Pass on Law for local, bigger PG
12. Hornets: Nick Young
Who DOESN'T have this slotted here?
13. 76ers: Spencer Hawes
Philly's next... Todd McCullough!
14. Clippers: Acie Law
Best of Big 3 PGs available.

Shocker: Brandan Wright slips out of the Lottery!
My Team: At 16, the Wizards take... Derrick Byars.

Comments: OK, it's time to weigh in with your own official, on-the-record mock-draft predictions. (To avoid comments with a list of 30 teams and players, maybe stick with the Lottery and the non-Lottery pick you'll be most interested in tracking?)

Complete Draft coverage coming in the a.m.

Draft Rumors: Blazers will take Oden. Kevin Pritchard is apparently going to go with his head over his heart, which will drive Durant-as-1 backers (from Simmons to DraftKevinDurant.com) totally insane.

There is NOTHING wrong with that pick. Most fans agree with it. Most GMs agree with it. And it puts Portland in the best position possible to win titles. (And that's why teams play, right?!?! Heh.)

In this particular draft, however, the one downside to picking first is the lingering "What if?" in the event that either (a) Oden doesn't produce titles or (b) Durant does (or KD just looks more entertaining).

KG-Amare deal appears to have fizzled after yesterday's supernova, when – predictably – a Hawks rogue ownership partner put the kibosh on the one deal that could have turned the franchise around.

(Related: Are the Hawks considering taking Yi over Al Horford at No. 3 because of the Atlanta ownership group's business interests in China? Yi is a bad fit on the Hawks, but the universal language is green.)

But the new hot rumor is the Mavs sending Wisconsin hero Devin Harris to the Bucks for the No. 6 pick. Would the Mavs then ship the 6 and parts to the T'wolves for KG?

Draft Fashion: In 2001, I introduced the NBA Draft Fashion Report Card on ESPN.com, then filed it every year after that through last year's draft. It was my favorite column of the year. (Dan Steinberg picks up the slack with a great pre-draft fashion report.)

This year, I'm proud to move that coverage to DanShanoff.com – and proud to welcome a guest-commenter (and my first-round pick for the job), The Head Chick in Charge from the great blog Leave The Man Alone. She will be providing the best draft-fashion live-blog commentary found anywhere online. I'll chip in my own take on the draft fashion in the morning, but HCIC's is the definitive and standard-setting real-time analysis.

The Comments section of the draft-fashion post will also serve as your place to comment on all things draft in real-time.

MLB Dud: Roger Clemens doesn't strike out a player in a game for the first time in 200 starts: This is the worst omen yet that the Yankees' season is lost.

MLB Stud: Jack Cust, who had a career-high 5 RBI to help continue his breakout season.

MLB Malcontent: How come Shea Hillenbrand only shows up in the news when he's being a d-bag?

MLB Milestones: Glavine wins No. 297. No one will remember it came in an abbreviated, 5.1-inning game. They WILL remember it was a 1-hitter.

Tiger as Varsity Dad: He's skipping the Buick Open this week even though Buick is one of his biggest sponsors. However, Tiger WILL play in his OWN event, at Congressional in DC next week.

Sports Media: A few days after wowing me with his unique draft analysis, Penn center Stephen Danley lost me with his ludicrous (if spirited) defense of Alando Tucker.

And, finally: Happy first birthday/anniversary to the deviant-savants over at Kissing Suzy Kolber. If any group has proven the glowing meritocracy of the sports blogosphere, it is these guys. Unfortunately, in KSK's case, their "glow" comes from the bukkake stains resulting from their daily circle-jerk. Happy-happy, fellas.

-- D.S.

NBA Draft Preview, Part 2:Gators, Yi, Sleepers, More!

Who needs contrived draft storylines when the Hot! Trade! Action! is so virile? (See post below) And yet, yesterday's NBA Draft Preview "Part 1" (Oden vs. Durant) got off to such a rousing start that it would be a shame to not publish a post on a hodge-podge of other drafty storylines. Feel free to add any more key storylines of your own in the Comments section. (Coming tomorrow: Mock draft!)

Big Storyline 2: The Gator Boys. Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah all taken between the 3rd and 9th picks. Not bad. Horford is the consensus "Best Player Not Named Oden or Durant." Brewer is considered the best perimeter defensive player in the draft. Noah is shat upon.

As with any draft, team fit is probably the biggest factor in each guy's success. That goes 10 times more for Noah. In the right context, he's Marcus Camby light, with worse shooting but better passing touch and love-him-if-he's-on-your-team energy. Horford and Brewer will be fine wherever they are, as long as they get minutes. Future studs, all, if not of the All-Star variety, then certainly of the Fantasy variety.

Commenters: How will the Florida guys pan out?

Big Storyline 3: Yi As In "Ee!" During the NBA Finals' ratings dud, I thought a lot about the NBA and China. Here's the upshot: If the NBA captures a fraction of hoops fans in China, it will dwarf the number of NBA fans in the U.S.

Now you understand why David Stern, Nike, ESPN and everyone else is so hot to enter the market with a basketball presence. Yi is the swingman version of Yao – and another piece in the coming dominance. If my former colleague Bill Simmons was truly a real fan of the NBA, he'd start learning Mandarin in time for the Takeover.

(Meanwhile: Given the development of Yao, why don't more fans want to see their teams in the Top 10 take Yi? Perhaps because they don't want to wait for him to develop, but I'm more resigned to the idea that it's the same xenophobia/racism that dogged Yao before -- and after -- he was drafted.)

Commenters: Yi -- Yea or nay?

Big Storyline 4: Non-Lottery Sleepers. In a draft this loaded (I'm arguing it's the most stacked draft of the post-KG Era), the talent will ripple down, not just into the bottom half of the first round, but even into the second round, where last year's first-round talents are this year's second-round steals. A few names I'm tracking:

Derrick Byars: He turned Vanderbilt – Vandy! – into a powerhouse last season and single-handedly destroyed Florida when they played in Nashville. Good enough for me.

Marco Belinelli: The league is evolving to the point where, at the very least, you better have a go-to scorer, you better have a versatile swingman and you better have a dead-eye outside shooter. Belinelli will be the shooter that has fans going, "How did my team pass on him?"

Glen Davis: Craig Smith. Paul Millsap. Enough said. Second-round tweeners are the new draft-night hotness.

Taurean Green: Before you shout "Damn your Florida bias!" consider that I found Green a far more infuriating player to watch than Joakim Noah. But Green has this freakish ability to make big shots look easy. Not a starting NBA point guard by any means, but a very capable backup.

Bobby Brown: Just watch this video. YouTube legend is the new Rucker legend. I'm only half-joking.

Commenters: Who are your biggest sleepers, from the end of the first round to the second round to the likely-to-be-undrafted-but-still-good? This should be fertile ground for each of your personal pet project players.

Again, coming tomorrow: The Mock!

-- D.S.

Wednesday 06/27 A.M. Quickie:Oden-Durant, KG, Old MLB Pitchers, More

UPDATE! KG Trade: This is moving WAY too fast, with too many rumors and too many moving parts, to truly keep up with (see KG/Lakers item directly below, which is already stale).

The latest? KG to the Suns, with Amare ending up in...Atlanta? Huge win for the Hawks (finally, and even if they have to give up their 3/11 picks). Amare in the East makes them much tougher, just like Dwight Howard in the East makes the Magic a legit future contender.

As for the Suns, I said this last week: Acquiring KG and giving up Amare is a no-brainer. KG gives them a better chance to win now -- and the Suns need to win NOW.

MORE: Warriors dangling Monta Ellis for the chance to draft Yi? Why would GSW give up their most valuable player (given talent + cost + youth/upside) for an unproven mystery guy? Yes, Yi is THAT valuable to Golden State. It's not crazy to say that he's more valuable to Golden State than almost any other player in the NBA right now, rookie or vet. As I tried to explain yesterday (inelegantly): If you're not winning a title, marketing rules.

MORE: Allow me to be overwhelmed by today's NBA Draft/trading frenzy. The three-move combo of Amare to the Hawks, KG to the Suns and the 3, 5 and 11 picks being in the hands of the T'wolves (who use them to draft Horford, Brewer and Noah) could combine to save the NBA. /hyperbole

ORIGINAL POST BEGINS HERE:

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their spirited disagreement with my post about Oden vs. Durant yesterday, which was really about whether it's more important as a fan to be part of a multiple-time champion or to maximize your entertainment value.

(As one emailer pointed out, it's worth noting that the most entertaining, exciting, pulse-quickening team of the NBA Playoffs wasn't the champs or even the runner-up, but the Warriors. And I probably should have clarified that NEVER winning a title isn't optimal, but if neither Oden nor Durant is going to win one, I'd rather have the more entertaining player.)

If some of your sensibilities were offended, well, that's why there's a Comments section. And, as much as it like seem like I enjoy being right, I like nothing more than to be proven wrong.

Speaking of which, Part 2 of my NBA Draft Preview will be going up around noonish. I'm saving my mock draft for tomorrow morning, so it's a little of this (Gator Mania), a little of that (why Yi is a good pick) and a little of the other (handful of drafty sleepers).

Must-read: Hollinger's analysis of the NBA Draft field. If you didn't read it yesterday. It's awesome.

KG-to-Lakers trade update: So, sipping the multi-team convolution, will the T'wolves simply get Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum for KG? Let's hope they get the Lakers to throw in their first-round pick this year, too.

Or is that Lakers rumor dead? The Mavs one sounds like a complete non-starter from the get-go, but – hey – you're crazy if you're a top West team and you DON'T float your name out there: Mavs, Suns, Lakers.

The most depressing result, of course, for all fans -- including in Minnesota -- would be if KG wasn't traded at all. What a let-down that would be.

Not coincidentally, the only team you never hear about in the KG Sweepstakes is... the champs. (Yes, it's because they have Duncan, but still. They seem to classy to beg like the rest of 'em.)

Your daily Gilbert Arenas post, courtesy of Dan Steinberg. (If you haven't seen his EA ads with Kevin Durant, they're terrific. Oh, and Gil is signing an endorsement deal with Spalding, along with Greg Oden. Nike, Spalding: Who said Oden isn't marketable?)

Was it the right thing to put "RIP" next to Chris Benoit yesterday, before I knew all the facts? No. At least I didn't put on a publicly televised homage to a guy who might turn out to be a murderer. What a tragedy toward his wife and son.

(Here's an interesting related blog post.)

UPDATE: This story is so much more horrifying than you ever thought it was.

MLB Old-Age: Seven pitchers in their 40s will pitch today, an MLB record: Clemens, Moyer, Rogers, Maddux, Glavine, Williams and Smoltz. It's a testament to durability, new-fangled training methods, luck and, y'know, PEDs.

MLB Stud: Carlos Ruiz, the Phillies catcher, who drove in four runs and stole home in a Philly win over Cincy. (Does stealing home count as an RBI?)

Dice-K to release an album: I'm late on this, but it only adds to Matsuzaka's awesomeness. Can you imagine Roger Clemens putting out an album? (You just KNOW Schilling wants his own record deal, too.)

Raise your hand if you thought that Troy Percival would be on the Cardinals lineup before Rick Ankiel, then consider how strange it is that either of them is even in the conversation.

Do you think Barry Bonds should be on the NL roster for the All-Star Game? I do, and Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn agree with me. MLB (and Bonds-loathing fans) can't possibly like that these two poster-guys for wholesome baseball goodness are backing Bonds on this one.

NFL: If nothing else, those retired players testifying to Congress about the NFL's draconian disability plan were far more emotionally gripping than any defense the NFL (or Gene Upshaw) might offer.

LeBron will play for Team U.S.A. in next month's World Championships: He has shoes to sell, after all. No, seriously, I'm wondering how playing in a tournament like that will affect him in the 07-08 season after his previous season lasted into June.

Holy Toledo: The NCAA is looking into problems within the school's football program, including the dreaded "point-shaving" problem. As a Northwestern alum, where point-shaving was an issue with both the football and the basketball teams, I can totally relate.

College Hoops: Most of you know that, despite my loathing for almost all things Duke-related, I am a sucker for Jon Scheyer, if for no other reason than that he's the best Jewish player in college hoops. Anyway, he stars in a student-created parody video that should make him just a little less hateable to the rest of you.

Random question: If you could own a portrait of any player drafted in the NBA Draft's Top 11 since 1985, who would it be? Which player has the most cachet or humor value or ironic value or meaning to you?

-- D.S.

NBA Draft Preview, Pt. 1: Greg Oden or Kevin Durant?

It is the NBA Draft's biggest storyline: Should Greg Oden or Kevin Durant be the No. 1 overall pick? It's hard not to look at the last 15 years of non-Jordan NBA champs and not see the common factor of "Dominant Big Man."

(Now the fallacy of that argument is that it wasn't a great big man alone: Hakeem was unstoppable, but had a great team around him. Duncan had Robinson, then Parker/Ginobili. Shaq had Kobe. It's no given that Oden alone will automatically win titles. Just look at Wilt.)

If it's all about winning titles, then history says Oden is your guy. But I'd argue that the Finals this month introduced a radical shift to thinking in the NBA, at least FAN thinking:

Titles aren't everything. (Go ahead: Gag.)

So Duncan's Spurs won another title: It didn't register with most NBA fans (most seemed to resent it more than anything else). And even fans in San Antonio seemed a little bored with it.

No, what matters now is entertainment: There is a faction of fans out there, I'm sure, that would rather be oohed-and-ahhed with entertainment for seven months – without winning a title – than be bored en route to winning another ring.

Rings are how we measure the success of stars, but are they how we measure the satisfaction of fans? This is why we Wizards fans can live without NBA titles, but can't live without Gilbert Arenas.

The Oden-Durant debate tilting to Oden presumes that Oden will be winning gobs of titles. If you recognize that winning titles is a Jordanesque zero-sum game, Oden's titles will be at Durant's expense, along with every other player of Oden's era, including LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Dwight Howard, everyone. That's a tough list to out-perform, even for a dominant center.

So it has to be asked: What if Oden doesn't win titles? Even if Durant doesn't either, you have to further ask: In the absence of titles, wouldn't you rather have the super-thrilling swingman than the dominant (but snazz-free) center?

That's the case for drafting Durant. He may win titles. He may not. But, then again, Oden may not either. But at least with Durant, fans will likely be infinitely more entertained along the way.

Commenters: Who would YOU take, and why?

UPDATE: John Hollinger as an absolute must-read about Durant's place as the greatest college-to-NBA prospect of the last half-decade. I used to pimp Carmelo Anthony as that prospect (because of the title), but I concede the argument in the face of Hollinger's quant analysis. Count me a Durant believer. And if I was already leaning toward Durant going No. 1....well, you'll have to wait for my mock draft on Thursday a.m. (No, seriously, read the column. It's amazing. Undervalued: Fazekas, Dudley, McRoberts. Overrated: Brewer(?!?!), Thornton, Nick Young.)

-- D.S.

Tuesday 06/26 A.M. Quickie:NBA Draft, KG and Kobe, Tank, Shaq, More!

My three-day NBA Draft lead-up coverage begins today. I have a handful of posts planned. I'll do Durant vs. Oden today, because that deserves its own day. I'll do a hodge-podge of storylines tomorrow. I'll post my mock draft on Thursday. Check back (or your Reader). Meanwhile...

Kevin Garnett to the Lakers? It would be great for Kobe, but yesterday's sizzling trade rumor – four teams – is today's squashed idea, because one of those teams – Boston – apparently didn't like that they were "only" getting Jermaine O'Neal.

Hey, the Celtics are the misguided fools who want to "win now." I thought the T'wolves were about to come out as the big winners, landing Al Jefferson and the Celtics' No. 5 pick, to go with their own No. 7 pick.

Regardless of who Minnesota drafted (or traded one of those picks for), with that deal, T'wolves fans would have had something even more valuable than Kevin Garnett: They would have had HOPE.

Blazers trying to trade LaMarcus Aldridge? That would suggest they are taking Greg Oden, to pair with Zach Randolph (rather than Kevin Durant, to pair with Zach Randolph).

Want to read the most refreshingly honest draft analysis I've seen all year? Check out ex-Penn center Stephen Danley's piece from the New York Times.

Oh, and here's something kind of funny: If NBA teams were drafting sports bloggers instead of players. I fell out of the Lottery to the Lakers at No. 19. (However, I would get to fulfill my dream by creating the "Bar-mitzvah Backcourt" with Kobe Jordan Farmar.)

Chauncey Billups is a free agent: If he wants to win, he should stay with the Pistons. If he wants to be more of The Man, he should go to another team. The Pistons are on the way down, not up.

NFL: The most must-see NFL moment of the offseason between the Draft and the first week of training camp comes today when Congress holds its hearings into the NFL's sketchy history handling player disability.

Bears cut Tank Johnson: Who didn't see this coming? But you have to wonder: If this happened during the reign of Paul "Let It Slide" Tagliabue rather than Roger "Get Tough" Goodell, would the Bears have cut him? I think not.

Club bouncer sues Pac-Man: Adding insult to injury (or vice versa... at this point with Jones, I've lost track), he's being sued by the strip-club bouncer who says Jones bit him back in February.

MLB Stud, Batter: Shawn Green, who hit the 11th-inning, game-winning, walk-off home run to lead the Mets over the (new-rival) Cardinals last night.

MLB Stud, Pitcher: CC Sabathia, who won his 11th game with a complete-game win over the A's.

MLB Dud: Cristian Guzman. Just when he and the Nats had it together in hopeful way, he goes out for the season with that injured thumb.

TV Watch: "Shaq's Big Challenge." Cynical NBA fans may scoff, but if Shaq can do anything to erode the grip of childhood obesity that is one of this country's biggest epidemics, I'll stand up and cheer him. Speaking of bad eating habits...

Kobayashi is out of the Hot Dog Eating Contest! Apparently, arthritis means he can barely open his mouth. Knowing about the guys who are run the competitive eating league, this is a dubious as the WWE's "death" of Vince McMahon.

Speaking of Kevin Durant, he'll be on the cover of EA's NCAA Madness '08. Like Adam Morrison a year ago, he was the most dynamic player of the previous season, but – actually IN March – his team underachieved.

(Update: I just saw the picture of Durant they used on the cover of the game. I hope that's a placeholder, because otherwise? Worst. Cover Image. Ever.)

R.I.P. Chris Benoit, his wife and his 7-year-old son, found dead Monday. Condolences to family, friends and fans of the pro-wrestling superstar and his family, who were killed under extremely mysterious circumstances that are sure to continue to be a huge story. UPDATE: Murder-suicide? Cripes, that is horrifying.

-- D.S.

Monday 06/25 A.M. Quickie:Griffey, Clemens, Beavers, Horford, More!

Welcome AOL Fanhouse readers!

Ken Griffey is MLB's hero: 2 HR on Sunday to lead the Reds over the Mariners and vault himself ahead of Mark McGwire on the all-time HR list, in front of a "home" crowd that loves him perhaps more than any other athlete in city history.

A healthy-ish Griffey is enjoying a late-career surge of national popularity, most likely because he seems to be a rare model of clean power in a larger pool of PED-tainted sluggers of his era.

Clemens throws middle relief: It was his first relief appearance since July 1984. Think he wanted extra money for it?

The dramatic crescendo of the appearance was his battle with Barry Bonds. He walked Bonds on four pitches. Eh: Not so dramatic.

Frank Thomas hits 499: What's more exciting to follow – Frank Thomas reaching 500 HR or Craig Biggio reaching 3000 hits?

(Which is more exclusive? The 3000-hit club has 26 members; The 500 Club has 20.)

MLB Stud: Dustin McGowan, who threw a no-hitter through 8 innings before settling for a complete-game win. (Runner-up: Beckett becomes MLB's first 11-game winner. Angling for All-Star start?)

MLB Trade Rumors: Is Trader Ken Williams ready to ship Mark Buehrle to the Mets?

Morneau Watch: Still sidelined in the hospital after that collision. Purely my own speculation, but is this going to end his season?

Rod Beck, R.I.P.: Condolences to family, friends and fans of the longtime MLB closer, who sported the best moustache of our era.

CWS: Oregon State repeats as champs. Not a bad spring for back-to-back championships in major men's college sports.

NBA Deals: Vince Carter staying with the Nets? Ugh, how depressing for Nets fans. Why is Bruce Ratner so enamored with such an unclutch player?

It's time for the Nets to rebuild: I'd start with re-dangling Jason Kidd to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum (let's see LA turn that down NOW, after all the Kobe stuff). Then I'd let Carter go, or deal him in a sign-and-trade (to the Bobcats for Gerald Wallace?). Then I'd see what I could get for Richard Jefferson. Then I'd bide my time until LeBron arrives. Sound like a good plan?

NBA Draft Watch: Today, the Hawks are working out Al Horford, who is the consensus "Best Player Available Not Named Oden or Durant."

I've been saying this for two seasons: Horford is going to be an amazing NBA player. For now, he's being eclipsed by Oden and Durant, but he is going to be a huge impact player.

(That's sort of why I hate to see him go to a woeful team like Atlanta. But he can really help that team.)

Track: Your next great American Olympic track star? Tyson Gay, who produced the second-best time ever in the 200.

Wimbledon starts today: So it's going to be Federer winning the men's side and – what – like a Williams sibling winning the women's? OK, gotcha. Ping me when the finals are on.

(At least Wimby is paying the women the same as the men... finally, and long overdue.)

NFL: If you would like to know why Laurence Maroney will be the bloggers' favorite NFL player next year – sort of an antidote to Pac-Man Jones – here's why.

-- D.S.