Friday 09/07 A.M. Quickie:Colts Cruise, Brohm Biggie, AP Hearts Appy, More!

Breaking: Rick Ankiel is a cheater. Surprisingly, I feel absolutely crushed by this. More in a moment.

Big day today. Huge day. So big, in fact, that I'll have five posts today: This one, the first, the usual "A.M. Quickie." Then one on Ankiel. The next one is dedicated to what is arguably the biggest college football game of the season. The third one will be dedicated to tomorrow's college football slate. The fourth will be dedicated to Sunday's NFL openers. (Including picks, of course.) So check back often!

Colts 41, Saints 10: Peyton had 3 TDs and fantasy rising star Joseph Addai had 1. Yup: Sounds about right for Indy. The shocker was that the Indy D shut down the vaunted Saints offense. Maybe we're all overlooking the defending champs as repeat contenders.

(Predictions debacle: Between missing the game prediction, having my pick of the Saints as NFC Champs look iffy and my pick of Drew Brees look even iffier, it was a three-strikes night for me and my predictions.)

Brian Brohm will be my No. 1 Heisman contender on Sunday, no matter what happens on Saturday around the country.

Brohm threw for 5 TDs and a career-high 401 yards, and – amazingly – his team needed every one of them in a 58-42 win over Middle Tennessee.

Not to put too much pressure on him, but Brohm could be the next Peyton Manning. He's certainly the most gifted QB to come out of college football since Manning (and I include Carson Palmer in that). Brohm would look awfully good in a Falcons uniform playing for his old college coach Bobby Petrino, if Atlanta can see the wisdom in tanking its way to the No. 1 overall pick in a year most already consider lost.

(As I leapfrog Brohm up my Heisman rankings, I am going to drop Louisville out of the Top 5 – they were No. 3 this week for me.)

AP Poll to include 1-AA teams, if they're worthy: Well, well, well... I am surprised and delighted again by the otherwise flawed AP poll. They will let 1-AA teams in if they are voted in.

Now, they might as well call this the "App State" exemption, because it was App State's win over Michigan that is the only reason we're talking about this. And it pretty much only matters for last week's ballot, so thanks for nothing, AP.

Because the questions are: Where would you have ranked them this week and how long would you keep them in the rankings once they start playing lower-division teams exclusively?

I would have ranked App State in my Top 20 this week for their season-opening effort; I quickly would have dropped them down and quickly/eventually out as the season went on, much like App State's chances on the field against a Top 5 team. Week 1? No problem. Subsequent weeks? They would have increasing problems with pulling off that win.

Still, I'm sure many AP voters will give App State Top 25 votes this week. It will be a week too late, but still... it's something.

Tonight's Top 25 CFB: Rutgers over Navy. Another win for one of my Top 10 teams.

Cards: Honus Wagner card sells for a record $2.8M, just months after it sold for a record $2.35M. How ironic that one of the baseball legends is best-known for his status as the greatest trading-card icon?

Vick Watch: I wasn't so sure about the $3,000 bid for the dog-chewed Vick football cards, but I think the $10,000 bid for Vick's apology press-conference crib sheet is a damn interesting artifact of our time.

MLB Stud: Rick Ankiel, who had 2 HR and 7 RBI. Isn't that ironic?

MLB Dud: The Cubs, who blew a late lead and were stunned by a 9th-inning pinch-hit 3-run HR by Andre Ethier.

Varsity Dad: Sunday NFL Countdown will include a segment with a 5th-grader. (It's only a matter of time before College GameDay comes calling me about featuring my own kid, I can feel it!)

All together now: STFU, Tiki!

-- D.S.

Thursday 09/06 A.M. Quickie:NFL Opening! Playoff Picks! NFL! NFL!

Update: Shoot, I forgot to mention Louisville beating Middle Tennessee tonight, just for the record. Last week, I correctly stuck a "7" in front of my prediction of a double-digit point total for the Cardinals. I'm less bullish this week: They'll put up a number in the 60s. Full CFB preview/picks tomorrow.

The new NFL season is here. Two words: Thank god. (This KSK post just about sums it up.)

How can you not love the Opening Night matchup: Colts-Saints. The "finally" team coming off a championship season against a franchise considered the NFL's most historically hapless, but now finds itself as the hot pick to win the NFC and get to the Super Bowl.

For those of you who were paying attention a year ago (or heard me mention it 100 times in January and February), last season I made my Greatest Pick Ever: Predicting the Colts would beat the Bears in the Super Bowl... back in August 2006.

Now, that qualifies me to have one year – the immediate following year – when what I have to say has some credibility (even though we all know that if I got it exactly right a year ago, I won't come close this year).

Still, I wish I could be inspired about this as I was taking the Bears a year ago, but instead I'm sadly rather conventional. Here is my prediction for how the season will play out, through the Super Bowl:

NFC
East: Eagles
North: Bears
South: Saints
West: Seahawks
Wild Cards: Vikings, 49ers (Eh, yes: I dis the Cowboys. Probably stupidly.)
NFC Champ: Saints

AFC
East: Patriots
North: Steelers
South: Colts
West: Chargers
Wild Cards: Ravens, Broncos
AFC Champ: Patriots

Super Bowl: Pats over Saints

PSA: Don't forget to set your fantasy rosters.

Tonight: Colts-Saints. Chance to see my preseason pick for NFL MVP, Drew Brees, against the NFL's gold standard for QBs. One of the best Opening Games ever, based on a combination of team backstories and potential. I'll have my entire slate of NFL picks tomorrow (sign up for the Daily Quickie Readers Pick 'Em using the link on the right). For now, the pick is:

Saints over Colts.
(Other picks coming Friday.)

More NFL: So who, exactly, is the starting QB in Oakland: Daunte Culpepper or Josh McCown? Those few people with fantasy backup-QB slots to fill kind of want/need to know. (Apparently, it's McCown.)

MLB Steroids: Investigators want to talk to 45 current and former players. Good luck with that, but that's a big number. (h/t: NY Times)

MLB Stud: A-Rod, who seemed like a candidate for a DNP-Injury, but once he was in the lineup, ended up hitting 2 HR... in the same inning.

MLB Stud Team: Braves, who rallied for 3 runs in the 9th to beat/stun the Phillies, in the type of loss that can crush a team with just a month to go in the season and every win mattering.

MLB Dud: Jake Peavy (rarity as a Dud!), who gave up 8 runs to the D'backs. Arizona takes 2 of 3 from the Padres in their head-to-head series – and a one-game lead over the Padres in the NL West, in their final head-to-head showdown of the season.

The Indians swept the Twins... again.

Vernon Wells' HR means that the Red Sox are 6 games up on the Yankees with 22 games to play. Not that the Yankees should be concerned with the division, as opposed to the Wild Card.

As the AL races stand, the divisions seem pretty locked up. The Wild Card is in play, between the Yankees, Tigers and Mariners.

In the NL playoff race, the "good" Brewers are back. They clubbed a ton of home runs, have won 2 in a row and are a half-game behind the Cubs in the Central. The NL West might be underrated as a dramatic September storyline, but the NL Central is where the glamour action is.

Which AP pollsters put Michigan in their Top 25 this week? They deserve our scorn, and thankfully, Fan IQ has them listed by name. You have done inspired work here, friends.

U.S. Open: Federer beats Roddick. Of course he did. And sign me up for a pair of those tuxedo shorts. Venus advances to the semis.

NBA: Interesting rule tweak. The league will let refs use instant replay to review flagrant fouls and altercations. Smart.

PGA Playoffs Dud, Cont'd: Tiger and Ernie are joining Phil in dissing the Playoffs. Quite the success story for the PGA!

-- D.S.

Wednesday 09/05 A.M. Quickie:Michigan, CFB Top 25, Shaq, NFL Awards Picks!

So my weekly CFB guest-post on Deadspin was published yesterday morning, anticipating that the AP or Coaches' pollsters would keep Michigan in the Top 25.

I have never been happier to be wrong: Both the AP and the coaches booted Michigan out of the Top 25. In the AP's case, it was the steepest ousting in the history of a 25-team poll.

Sure, I could quibble: One-third of the coaches had Michigan on their ballot (one had them at No. 10!). And enough media voters listed Michigan on their ballots to earn them 39 voting points.

But, in general, I am unusually at peace with the pollsters -- both the media and coaches showed remarkable and rare common sense.

(It remains to be seen how long the exile will last. If Michigan beats a good Oregon team this weekend, I expect the pollsters to forgive/forget rather easily. Now, if Michigan LOSES to Oregon to drop to 0-2? I would certainly hope those coaches and media who put Michigan on their ballots this week would finally wise up and drop them completely.)

Now, as to the actual teams that were ranked, a few thoughts:

(1) I'm trying to figure out how Clemson could beat a ranked (if overrated) Florida State team and sneak in at No. 25, but Georgia Tech could beat an unranked (and awful) Notre Dame team and debut at No. 21.

(2) Classic voter inertia: USC is still No. 1, despite anything but a performance by a top-ranked team against Idaho.

(3) I'm a Florida fan, and even I'd say the Gators are overrated (right now) at No. 4.

(4) Nice to see pollsters drop underperforming Texas from No. 4 to No. 7. Wasn't steep enough of a drop.

(5) Cal beats Tennessee -- the most "quality" win by a 1-A team all weekend -- and only moves from No. 12 to No. 10?

Last thought on App State: This meme began to pop up yesterday, perhaps as a reaction to the Top 25 results. Everyone agrees that Michigan deserved to be exiled from the Top 25. But many also agree that it's a bit of a slap in the face to continue to refer to App State as some sort of raging Cinderella. If you pulled the "1-AA" tag and simply slotted them among 1-A teams, they might sit anywhere from, say, 35-60. App State's problem is one its coach has no problem copping to: They have no depth.

They are a team BUILT to pull an upset precisely like the one they did -- opening weekend, no injuries, no "book" on the 2007 team yet, surprise/overlook factor -- but over the course of a season-long slog against BCS-conference teams, they would be worn down by 1-A depth of size and speed. I'm not saying they couldn't make their way to bowl-eligibility; the fact that I'd even CONTEMPLATE 7-8 1-A wins for this particular App State team says how much I respect them. So the question stands: "Don't call it (THAT much of) an upset?"

Shaq is getting divorced: Forget helping out the fat kids, now "Shaq the Bachelor" is a must-see reality TV show.

US Open: Two less reasons to keep following it. Justine Henin dispatches Serena in straight sets (Justine owns Serena in Slam quarters). And Rafa Nadal is out, too.

Clemens getting a cortisone shot in his elbow: Will presumably be a nice respite from the HGH. (Seriously, though: Is Clemens' career over? Maybe he'll grit through it to pitch again this season -- he owes the Yankees every last drop of gas in the tank -- but can he reasonably think he could come back again next year? I think these final few weeks of the 2007 season will be Rockets' last go-round.)

Carlos Zambrano apologizes to Cubs fans for ripping them for booing him. Zam knows: The customer is always right. "They have the right to boo people," he said. And he's completely right:

Fans absolutely have the right to boo -- at any/all times they want to. Now, there are times when other fans will look at you askew and go, "Really? Booing? Why?" But you, as a fan, still possess the inalienable right to boo. It is one of the most fundamental rights of fandom.

Best MLB division race: How about the NL West? Totally underrated.

Buchholz Watch: If Red Sox rookie sensation Clay Buchholz, who threw a no-hitter in his second MLB game, throws 9 straight hitless innings while coming out of the bullpen, does he get credit for two straight no-hitters?

More Red Sox Pitching: Beckett wins 17th. As long as he continues to lead MLB pitchers in wins, he'll be a front-runner for AL Cy. (No guarantees, but it'll keep him on the very short list.)

Mickelson to skip BMW Championship: One more indication that there's just so much passion for this Playoffs thing among golfers.

Fantasy Football Watch: One week, you think all the good RBs are gone. The next, Selvin Young is the most-added player in the universe.

Meanwhile, anyone else have Larry Johnson and staring at the first 2-3 weeks of the season without their No. 1 player? Craaaaap.

Nebraska extends Bill Callahan's contract by 5 years: I'll admit that I didn't think he would get the job done. Yet he has. We'll see if he falls prey to the "contract extension jinx" when Nebraska plays a tough game at Wake Forest this weekend. (Consider spinning the wayback machine 10 years or so, then positing that Nebraska-Wake Forest would be a toss-up.)

Jimmy Clausen to start at QB for Notre Dame this weekend: Sure, he was the No. 1 prep QB a year ago. My question is: What does Charlie Weis do when Penn State destroys him and his new QB?

(I had this conversation with someone yesterday: How can a "great" coach in Year 3 manage to run such a crappy team? Basically, Weis won the last two years with Willingham's players. I thought he was supposed to have done a really good job recruiting. Yet with his own recruits, he can't coach his way out of a paper bag.)

Women's pro soccer league is returning: Now, I could be cynical and say, "Over-under on the league folding: One-third the time it took the last one." Instead, I'll say that they won't even make it to the projected league start date of 2009. But I wish them well.

TONIGHT IN NYC! The latest Varsity Letters Reading Series, featuring Frank Deford, Scott Price and Neal Thompson. 8 p.m. at Happy Ending (302 Broome). And it's FREE. Be there!

NFL 2007 Preview: Awards Picks
MVP: Drew Brees
ROY: Adrian Peterson
COY: Norv Turner
Coming tomorrow: Playoff picks

-- D.S.

Tuesday 09/04 A.M. Quickie:App State, Clemson, Pedro 3KK, NFL Kickoff Week, More!

What happened in college football this weekend? Check out my CFB wrap-up post from Sunday, which breaks it all down, including – of course – App State over Michigan.

Clemson beat Florida State last night. Two things: FSU, like Notre Dame, is in the "Good Thing Michigan is THE Story" column, because the Noles are off to a tough start, given all of the offseason changes (like a new O.C.). The offense seemed to sputter...again.

Meanwhile, I know Clemson was playing with huge emotion at home on a Monday night in a season opener (the perfect moment to pull an upset... although it wasn't an upset if you didn't have FSU ranked to begin with). But they're legit. The Tigers have those spectacular RBs, but new QB Cullen Harper did just enough passing to keep FSU honest.

New CFB Rules: More yards, more points, more clock. It stands to reason that changing (back) the clock rules (in addition to the new kickoff rules) would add more time – and, consequently, more plays, yards and points to games. College games were up 56 yards and 3 points, on average, over last year's season openers (h/t: Weiberg, USA Today)

Appalachian State Upset Hangover: In this week's Blog Poll, I refuse to rank Michigan in my Top 25 – and can't understand how any self-respecting voter (blogger, AP voter, coach, whoever) could do it either.

I did, however, radically change my Top 25 now that we actually have real performance data to use. Virginia Tech is out of the No. 1 spot, pending next week's result at LSU. Instead, I have West Virginia at No. 1. Sure, WVU's D isn't great. But the offense is simply spectacular.

More: I didn't have Georgia ranked last week, which was a mistake. I (over-)corrected by putting them near the top of the second 10. Clemson was also unranked, but jumps in after beating FSU. For non-BCS sleepers, I like Tulsa. Meanwhile, I punished higher-ranked teams that didn't deliver, even in victory. I dropped Texas into the mid-teens and dropped Auburn out altogether.

Here's my full Week 3 ballot (which I'm allowed to revise through late tonight, but don't necessarily plan to).

NFL Kickoff: Thursday. It's coming. In the meantime, get those last-minute tweaks to your fantasy team done and start lining up your predictions for the season. We'll do playoff picks tomorrow and individual awards on Wednesday.

More NFL: Leftwich Watch. Could the ex-Jags QB end up near his DC hometown? Sounds like the Ravens are interested, among others.

Simeon Rice to the Broncos: Can only help, right?

How revamped are the Patriots on offense? Enough that they could release their leading WR from 2006. "Leading" is relative, of course.

MLB Milestones 1: Pedro Martinez gets 3000 Ks. That's not an unexclusive club. Only 14 other pitchers are in it, making it more exclusive than 3000 hits and 500 homers. It is one of those clubs that won't be joined anytime soon. Man, has this been a year for MLB Milestones or what?

It was also Pedro's MLB return from injury. If he can be moderately effective, it's like picking up a quasi-quality SP for the September stretch run, without giving up anything (um, except that big contract they owe him).

MLB Milestones 2: Ichiro reached the 200-hit mark for the 7th straight season, tying an AL record. I think it goes without saying that even with his abbreviated MLB career, Ichiro is a first-ballot Hall of Famer (particularly when you count his career in Japan, as any self-respecting member of the PBWAA would... right?)

MLB Studs: The Indians own Johan Santana. Not many – if any – other teams can say that. But wow, they do.

MLB Dud: What happened to the Phillies' charge in the NL East?

Mickelson gets mouthy after win: It takes a tough (or tired) player to win one of these PGA "Playoff" events then threaten to skip the next week's event. But that's what Phil Mickelson did.

US Open: Roddick to quarters. Meh: No one is beating Federer anyway. (Meanwhile, James Blake's ouster is one less reason to watch anyway.)

Sports Media: Didn't see the App State upset over Michigan? If you have Fox Sports Net (a better bet than wondering if you have the Big Ten Network), check your schedules for a replay today.

Varsity Dad: This is hilarious. (h/t: Fanhouse, Ballhype, Card Chronicle)

-- D.S.

Monday 09/03 (Very) Quickie: No Labor Here

Looking for a college football wrap? See the next post down...

U.S. routs Argentina to rule hoops in this hemisphere: LeBron scored a team-record 31, capping a terrific tournament fo rhim. Team USA vanquished its rival (and the world's reigning top dog). And Team USA declared itself to be the favorite in Beijing in '08. That's good and bad: It's where they SHOULD be, yet it's back to the old standard: Anything less than gold is a failure.

CFB Today: Florida State at Clemson. I have Clemson winning in an upset, because I need to see FSU's "new" "offense" first-hand before I can possibly believe in it.

MLB Stud: Jacoby Ellsbury. You all know it pains me to have two Red Sox players as Studs for two days in a row -- rookies no less. But they keep trotting them out there, and the rookies keep delivering. It's refreshing that both the Yankees and Red Sox are getting clutch performances from cheap home-grown rookies, rather than the usual high-priced veteran mercenaries.

-- D.S.

Sunday 09/02 (Very) Quickie: CFB Wrap-Up!

Quick(ie)-hit thoughts from yesterday's CFB opening Saturday:

Appy State upsets Michigan: Biggest regular-season upset in college football history? (The truth is probably somewhere between "ever" and "this decade."

(Think these will become popular? Wait: Just heard that Miss Teen South Carolina, known for her map skills, is going to Appy. In one week, they've gone from national laughingstock to national Cinderella. Has there ever been a bigger one-week turnaround? Add it to Appy's "ever" list!)

I want to see Appy State ranked in the Top 25. And I want to see Michigan NOT ranked in the Top 25.

Michigan proves that preseason rankings are a joke – and played themselves right out of the national title picture, even if they go 11-0 the rest of the way.

Virginia Tech: The healing continues. If only the offense could deliver in a way to give me more confidence heading into Baton Rouge next week.

Cal proves itself as a legit national contender, by beating the toughest opponent of the day. (Meanwhile: Tennessee's status? ABD: All-But-Done.)

Notre Dame sucks: 'Nuff said. (And it will only get worse next week, when they face a Penn St team that hung 59 on Florida Int'l, while pitching a shutout.)

USC didn't win that impressively. Certainly not impressively enough to merit their being No. 1 simply because they were No. 1 a week ago, based on nothing but preseason guessing.

Florida enters Tebow Time: 13/17 for 300 yards and 4 TDs (3 pass/1 rush) in 3 quarters of action in his debut as a starter.

McFadden Time was already here: Carrying over from last year, D-Mac ran for 151 yards and threw a 42-yard TD pass for good measure. Unlike USC, McFadden DID retain his preseason No. 1 status – as Heisman favorite.

West Virginia is effing awesome: Pat White and Steve Slaton jump to the top of my Heisman watch list. Can we have co-Heisman winners... from the same team, no less???

Wisconsin is better than thought. It's defense isn't quite as good. But the offense is much better. The net result affirms their place as a Top 10 team.

Texas is worse than thought. In fact, you have the foreshadowing for next week: Texas hangs on, TCU pitches a shutout. Don't call it an "upset" when the Horned Frogs win in Austin next week.

Speaking of "than thought": I didn't have Georgia in my initial Top 25 last week. Let me be clear: THAT WAS A MISTAKE. That was a VERY quality non-conf win over Oklahoma State.

BC's Matt Ryan should be a Top 5 Heisman contender, at least after Week 1. 400-plus yards and 4 TDs in a big game will do that for a guy.

(Oh, so if Matt Ryan was impressive, what about Colt Brennan, who threw for 400-plus yards and 6 TDs... in the first half.)

Heisman Watch:
1. Darren McFadden
2a. Pat White
2b. Steve Slaton
3. Colt Brennan
4. Brian Brohm
5. Ray Rice
Rising: Matt Ryan, Tim Tebow
Falling: Booty, McCoy
Out: Henne, Hart

(Yes, Hart had a good game. But simply put: No voter will be able to separate the player from the stunning upset loss.)

Looking ahead to next week: A crazy batch of games, including a season-definer for both VA Tech and LSU, a TCU upset-special over Texas and, potentially, another opportunity to piss on Michigan's lost season.

Non-CFB: What is a COACH doing with PEDs? Seriously.

Clay Buchholz pitches a no-hitter... in his second MLB start. A Boston myth has been created.

Sharapova out at US Open. One less reason to watch.

Jags release Byron Leftwich: My favorite player on the team and one of my top "I'm in the bag for him (even though he's not great)" NFL players. Maybe he'll find a place in... KC? Atlanta?

-- D.S.

Upset of the Decade! Appy St d. Michigan!

I'm immediately declaring it the upset of the decade: Appalachian State over Michigan in Ann Arbor! Oh my god!!!

Yes, Appy State is the two-time defending 1-AA (or whatever it's called) champs, but still -- it's 1-AA. This Michigan team was ranked No. 5 and expected to contend for the national title.

I wouldn't even keep Michigan in my Top 25 after this. (Wait: Can I put a 1-AA team on my Top 25 ballot? Why not? A win at the No. 5-ranked team is a win at the No. 5-ranked team. For this week, at least, Appy State deserves the placement in the Big Boys' Top 25.)

Meanwhile, Michigan's season is over. Finished. Done. Kaput. At least in terms of being considered a national contender. O-V-E-R.

(Seriously: Any other self-respecting program would consider firing their coach -- I don't care how long-tenured he is -- after an all-time epic humiliation like this. If Michigan fired Carr tomorrow, I wouldn't blame them.)

But while it's easy to make this about Michigan's season-obliterating humiliation, this should be about Appy State, about the pride of 1-AA and about college football's greatest upset of the 21st century. (Too bad no one could see it!)

College football: Welcome back! So let me be the first to say it: "Appy New Year!"

-- D.S.

UPDATE: Wait...greatest upset EVER? I just went out for a head-clearing walk, and the more I thought about it, the more I think I'm on board with the idea that this is the biggest regular-season upset in modern college football history.

Not only was it the first time a 1-AA team had beaten a ranked team, but they beat a Top 5 team... a national-title contender... on the road. That's big on too many levels.

(My previous gold standard for Biggest Upset in Modern CFB History was Northwestern over Notre Dame in 1995 -- the prototype "loser" program over the prototype "winner." But at least that was in the same division of college football. This was two entirely separate leagues.)

P.S.: How amazing is it that a contender for greatest upset in CFB history was seen by... virtually no one. Maybe if you had the Big Ten Network on your cable system (who does?) Maybe if you had DirecTV (hardly a majority). Unfortunately for Michigan fans, this is no "tree-falls-no-one-hears" Zen koan. Quite the opposite. It was the Shot NOT Seen Around the World, but Understood Loud and Clear.

CFB 09/01 Comment Tailgate

Here's the post. Discuss the day's action. I'll try to post updates.

1:55 p.m.: Appy makes me happy! Go APPY!

Saturday 09/01 A.M. (Very) Quickie

In one year, we've come a long way since this. (Wow: Seven posts... in one day! Talk about an unrealistic pace.) Anyway, it's a big day of college football ahead, and I will revive last year's tradition of an open thread throughout the day for commentary.

(For example: It's Tebow Time, and the New York Times knows it. This is an amazing way to wake up on a Saturday: My favorite college football writer -- Thamel -- reporting on my favorite college football player -- Tebow. Thamel really established his cred when he became the first national voice to really start talking about Urban Meyer before Utah's unbeaten season.)

Now, other stuff...

Rodney Harrison is a PED cheater: The NFL suspended him for 4 games, and he gets what is supposed to be a Pats' Super Bowl season off to a less-than-ideal start.

(Let's reiterate: This is probably closer to the norm than an exception. Harrison was merely stupid enough to get caught. But if you think the NFL doesn't have a PED problem that makes MLB's problems look small by comparison, you're delusional.)

Byron Leftwich demoted from Jags starting QB for David Garrard: This was a suprise. Leftwich was supposed to be having a good preseason. He's in a contract year -- and can't be happy. The Jags are going to try to trade him (um, KC?) -- I will continue to root for him.

(Leftwich is one of my favorite NFL players and my favorite Jag -- at least until Reggie Nelson plays his first regular-season down -- and I'm not exactly thrilled at the development, except maybe Leftwich can get to a situation where the coach actually likes and/or respects him.)

Michael Strahan ends holdout: What's the over/under on how many weeks until he's (inevitably) injured? I'm saying 2.

Juan Encarnacion struck in the face: Here's hoping he's OK, in what was probably the scariest on-field moment of the year.

MLB Stud: Scott Baker.

CFB Friday Night: Washington routs Syracuse. Wow, Syracuse is terrible, truly terrible. And Washington could be good this year. The Huskies get their true test next week, against Boise State.

NHL Relocation: Looks like the Predators are staying in Nashville. (Sorry, Hamiltonians.)

Beckham out six weeks: Might as well be six months.

-- D.S.

Friday 08/31 A.M. Quickie:On This Day A Year Ago...

Wow, I can't believe it was a year ago today that I filed the final edition (ever) of the Daily Quickie.

I'll have more to say about the past year (and the upcoming year) next week, but suffice to say it's been a wild ride this year. Thanks to everyone for reading, for commenting (well, most of you), for linking and for generally supporting the effort.

Again, more next week, but as the "official" anniversary of the end of the Daily Quickie and the start of danshanoff.com arrives over the next 24 hours, I offer my sincere thanks for what a great experience it has been. Now, on to today's top storylines...

College Football Opening Night: Four games involving ranked teams, four blowouts. 212-20 was the combined score, including the 73 that Louisville hung on Murray State (didn't I say "70" yesterday?)

We also have our early Heisman contenders:

(1) Brian Brohm, L'ville QB: 4 TDs, 375 yards (16/21 passing)
(2) Ray Rice, Rutgers RB: 3 TDs, 184 yards, 7.4 ypc
(3) Ian Johnson, Boise St RB: 3 TDs, 128 yds, 7.1 ypc

For all you Bootys and Hennes and Brennans or you Harts and Harvins and Slatons, the initial bar has been set.

(And that doesn't even consider the shutout that LSU's defense pitched, including 6 INTs. The Tigers' D is as good as advertised, making its showdown with Virginia Tech's D next week as good as it gets.)

College Football Opening Weekend! It's time to revive the Friday tradition of picks. Not many games in question, but of the weekend's three best games (listed in bold), I'm picking upsets in two of them.

1 USC over Idaho
3 West Virginia over W. Michigan
4 Texas over Arkansas St
5 Michigan over Appy St
6 Florida over W. Kentucky
7 Wisconsin over Wash St
8 Oklahoma over North Texas
9 Virginia Tech over E. Carolina
11 Ohio St over Youngstown St
12 Cal over 15 Tennessee (Game of the Week!)
Oklahoma State over at 13 Georgia (Upset Special!)
14 UCLA over Stanford
17 Penn St over Fla Int'l
18 Auburn over Kansas St
At Clemson over 19 Florida St (Monday. Upset Special 2!)
20 Nebraska over Nevada
21 Arkansas over Troy
22 TCU over Baylor
23 Hawaii over N. Colorado (Sunday)
25 Texas A&M over Montana St.

Don't forget to submit your picks in both the College Football Pick 'Em and the College Football Challenge groups through the links on the right. Group name: Daily Quickie Readers.

(By the way, the New York Times' Pete Thamel and Co. are back with a college football blog, following up their excellent college hoops blog. Thamel's the best college football reporter in the country, and he and his colleagues put together a really entertaining addition to your daily CFB reads.)

USA Hoops: It's a new world, and Team USA is back. They routed nemesis and reigning world top-dog Argentina, which was my litmus test for this team's potential.

Who led the way? Kobe Bryant, who had 27 points and justified his place as the team's most valuable player – the biggest reason they'll win gold next year. Along the way, he's going to affirm his status as the world's greatest player.

(And I'm not a particularly big fan of Kobe's; he's simply reinventing himself this summer – and next – as the ultimate basketball player. The only thing he'll be missing? Any NBA success at the team level. Not with the Lakers, at least.)

Yankees sweep Red Sox: More important for their Wild Card chances than it was for their division chances. Stud: Robinson Cano.

Phillies sweep Mets: More important for their division chances than their Wild Card chances. Stud: Chase Utley.

NFL: The NFL is changing it's logo! It's not a radical re-design, but it is different. And I think I like it better, although purists might not agree with me, just because most don't like ANY change.

More: AJ Feeley broke his hand in the Eagles' loss last night, but he's not expected to miss playing time as McNabb's backup.

U.S. Open: I don't watch much tennis, but (as long as it's not conflicting with college football tomorrow) I'll have an eye on the Federer-Isner match tomorrow. Best of the tournament.

Beckham Watch: He might be done for the season, making his MLS rookie year the most expensive summer marketing gimmick of the decade.

NCAA will let the dead recruit enjoy a decent funeral courtesy of a college booster: Common sense must take a while to filter through.

PGA Drug-Testing: Will start as early as next year. And I predict you'll be shocked at how many (and who) gets busted.

Tyson Gay pulls off the double: He won the 100 and the 200 at Worlds. The sports Name to Know in 2008.

Sports Movies: Balls of Fury. The guy playing the lead is hilarious and relatively unknown. He's a poor man's Jack Black. I think this will be a sleeper hit. The premise is simply too good.

Happy Labor Day Weekend, for those of you enjoying three days off. I'll be posting all weekend, but catch you Tuesday for Year 2.

-- D.S.

Thursday 08/30 A.M. Quickie:CFB Openers, Sheets, LeBron, Gators Hurting, More!

College Football kicks off tonight: And I couldn't be more excited. Sure, LSU shouldn't be challenged by Mississippi State (and, similarly, Rutgers shouldn't be challenged by Buffalo, and Louisville should have an easy time with Murray State -- 70 points?), but both teams occupy spots in my Top 6 and should contend for BCS relevancy. It's time to put away the preseason prognostications and finally judge these teams on the way they are playing, not projecting.

Top Storylines of the Season: With the first kickoff just hours away, here are my Top 5 Storylines for the season:

(1) Kickoffs: Experts and pundits can disagree, but I'm saying that moving the kickoffs from the 35 to the 30 will be the biggest rule-change in college football since OT -- perhaps more. Just wait for the first KR TD early in a game (the first kickoff of the game?) and you'll see coaches simply kick it out of bounds and take their chances with the ball placed on the 40 35.

(2) "We're All Hokies Fans": Virginia Tech is already an overdone story, which is a shame, because it's the team story of the season. It'll get even better when the Hokies win at LSU, then sit staring at a table-running remainder of their schedule and a date with the BCS title game -- and destiny. (Again: This will be the most overwraught, maudlin storyline of the year.)

(3) Offensive Innovation: I'm not saying Florida created a new template for a championship team, but if the defense was fast and furious, the offense was eclectic and electric: The two-QB system, the lack of a traditional lead RB, the deployment of the best players, like Percy Harvin, anywhere (and everywhere) on the field.

Between the Gators in the South, West Virginia in the East, Michigan in the North, Louisville in the heartland, Cal and Boise State out West and Hawaii WAY out West, I think we'll see offensive Xs and Os that will change the future of the game.

(4) Defensive Dominance: Despite all of the offensive firepower that will generate most of the headlines and highlights, the reason the consensus Top 2 teams -- USC and LSU -- are where they are is because of their sick defenses. Meanwhile, the reason I picked Virginia Tech as my national champ was because the defense will be so dominant. Yet one more reason the VT-LSU game is the Game of the Year.

(5) This year's Boise St: I've jumped on the TCU bandwagon, which will include a September win over Texas in Austin. The other contender is the winner of Hawaii-Boise State, who will likely be undefeated. Yes, that's right: This year's Boise State could be... Boise State.

Ack! Florida is effed! See below.

The Yankees and Mariners are tied for the AL Wild Card after Seattle was swept by the Angels and Roger Clemens beat Josh Beckett.

The Indians own Johan Santana: They beat him for the 4th time this season (they are the only team to beat him even 3 times). That, and Cleveland has won 5 straight and is surging into September.

MLB Stud: Ben Sheets, who came off the DL to lead the Brewers to a near-must-win over the Cubs. (Ryan Braun also is coming very close to locking up the NL ROY, contributing a double with the bases loaded.)

USA Hoops: LeBron rules. 26 first-half points (11/11 FG shooting for the game) in 14 minutes of PT, and Team USA cruised over Uruguay. (Interesting move by Coach K to keep LeBron out during the second half; he could have easily set the U.S. record for points in a game.)

NFL Get-Tough Policy: It's selective. Apparently, missing palimony payments doesn't rise to the level of triggering punishment through the league's personal conduct policy. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?!?!

Florida football might be effed: Speaking of CFB projecting, not to put too fine a point on it, but Florida lost their most important and valuable player: All-America candidate, senior captain and left tackle Phil Trautwein, who has a stress fracture in his right foot. He will certainly miss the first few weeks and could miss the entire season.

People can talk about Tebow, about Harvin, about Harvey or about any of the Gators' other weapons, but it was the potential of the O-line – led by Trautwein -- that anchored the promise of this offense to be spectacular (and making up for an inexperience, if speedy, D). Florida has recruited some O-line depth, but it's young. This is big enough that I'd drop Florida from my preseason No. 2. Tracking...

More CFB: Facebook breaks the news that the mainstream media couldn't -- Notre Dame's starting QB. Charlie Weis is powerful, but not more powerful than social media! (h/t EDSBS)

US Open: 6-foot-9 American sensation John Isner vs. Roger Federer in the next round might just be the most intriguing match-up of the men's tournament this year. Isner will get crushed, but as the Next Great American Hope, it'll be fascinating to see how he stacks up against the Best Ever. (Federer played last night in all-black, which was a badass look for the most dominant athlete in the world.)

Beckham Watch: Right knee sprained in SuperLiga final! What does this mean for his future this season?

NCAA Idiocy: Oh, for cripes sake: Just grant the waiver to let a booster pay for a recruit's funeral. This is a case of rules overriding reason.

Bernard Lagat: Wins 1500m for the U.S.

R.I.P. Richard Jewell, who in 1996 was put through a publicity hell most of us wouldn't wish on anyone.

CFB Picks: In a preview of tomorrow's Top 25 predictions (a weekly tradition carried over from last season):

LSU over Miss St
Louisville over Murray St.
Rutgers over Buffalo
Boise St over Weber St.

-- D.S.

CFB Season Preview: Heismania!

Three years ago, I picked Reggie Bush as my Heisman winner, because he was the best player in the country. He finished as runner-up to his teammate Matt Leinart, then won the award the following season.

Last season, I picked Darren McFadden as my Heisman winner, because he was the best player in the country. He finished as runner-up to Troy Smith. McFadden will win the award this season, then become the best NFL running back East of LaDainian Tomlinson.

Here's my preseason Heisman ranking:

1. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
2. Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii
3. Pat White, QB, West Virginia
4. Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville
5. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

The next tier:
6. DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal
7. John David Booty, QB, USC
8. Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers
9. Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia
10. Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky

Who's your pick as the best player in college football? And who is the player who isn't on that radar... but should be?

-- D.S.

Wednesday 08/29 A.M. Quickie:MLB Pennant Races, Yi, Ainge, USA Hoops, More!

MLB Pennant Race Mania! With just more than a month to play, it is SO on:

Phillies pick up a game on the Mets, after a head-to-head win. Padres pick up a game on the D'backs in a similar way. The Cubs came back to hold off the Brewers, and the Cards took over second place in the NL Central. The Angels came back to hold off the Mariners, pushing Seattle out 4 games (instead of only back 2).

And, oh right: The Yankees beat the Red Sox. But with all of these other (more) compelling division races, this one is the least dramatic of them all – by far the least competitive division race of the six. How great is that?

(I'm not sure why the Yankees would focus AT ALL on the division title, when they should be concentrating on winning the Wild Card. The mantra should be: Make the playoffs, however it happens. In the Wild Card Era, who cares about division titles?) And, for now, the Yankees are 1 GB the Mariners, with Seattle getting one more game against the Angels before a brutal road swing against some of the AL's top teams.

Yi signs with the Bucks: Well THIS was an unexpected development, but kudos to the team for closing the deal (even if it took owner Herb Kohl going to China personally to make it happen). And, now, amazingly, Milwaukee might be the second-favorite American city for Chinese basketball fans, behind Houston.

MLB Stud (and Dud): Ian Kennedy (and Mike Mussina). The MLB vet was booted from the Yankees rotation in favor of rookie sensation Ian Kennedy. The future is now for the Yanks.

NFL Fantasy Watch: Is Jesse Chatman about to displace Ronnie Brown as the Dolphins starting RB? (Was it so long ago that Brown was a hot pick to be in the Top 5?) At the very least, sounds like they will split carries, making Brown's fantasy value proposition all the more shaky. (Will Chatman be this season's Maurice Jones-Drew?)

CFB: How bad is Erik Ainge's finger injury? And how much will it hurt the Vols when they play at Cal on Saturday in the Game of the Week? (I already was picking Cal to win the game; this just increases the number of people on that bandwagon with me.)

More CFB QB news: Todd Boeckman will be Ohio State's starter. Why do I have OSU ranked so poorly in my initial Top 25? Questions about the QB is the No. 1 reason. As soon as Boeckman proves himself solid, if not Heisman-style spectacular.

Meanwhile, USC Running Backs coach Todd McNair has a history with dog-fighting, convicted of cruelty to animals a decade ago. In the current environment, will that embroil him in a scandal that could cost him his job? If he was coaching in the NFL, definitely.

But under the shield of the college system – where a coach like Pete Carroll rules with no restriction (from either the NCAA or even the leaders of his own institution) – unlikely. Carroll will cover for one of his own.

Artest supports Vick: Sort of. He says "I want to support him and be there for him." To his credit, Artest also says, "I don't support the dog fighting. I can't watch it. I can't imagine another dog biting a dog. It makes me nauseous." (via NY Post)

USA Hoops: Still blowing teams out. The latest: Puerto Rico, in a nice catharsis from the Athens debacle. On to the semifinals. With a guaranteed Olympic spot to the top two teams of the tournament, a finals showdown with, say, Argentina isn't for much more than pride. But that's why they're all playing, isn't it?

NBA Scandals: The refs get a lawyer. (Why: Do they NEED one?)

Meanwhile, Rafer Alston was arrested (again). At what point does David Stern invoke a Goodell-style "personal conduct policy" and suspend Alston for the quarter-season "time-out" he probably deserves?

Tim Couch coming out as having used HGH shouldn't come as too much of a surprise: The pressure to use steroids or other PEDs has always been felt greatest at the margins. Oh, I'm sure the superstars do it too, but it's the guys who need the artificial boost just to get to the point where they stay be on the margins that must feel the greatest temptation.

Equipment Watch: Given the court ruling upholding a ban on metal bats in high school games, I think we're seeing the beginning of the end of the "ping."

CFB: By mistake, I didn't post my Heismania post yesterday. It'll go up today. Sorry about that.

Meanwhile, I submitted my Week 2 Blog Poll ballot, with a few changes. Dropping USC behind LSU. Moving Cal up a little bit. Putting South Carolina at No. 25.

But there's one constant: I kept Virginia Tech at the top of my ballot. I believe that I am the only college football-related pundit (mainstream or blogger) that has the Hokies picked to win the national title. (Please shoot me a note if you know that I'm not.) If the Hokies win at LSU ("if?" I mean "when"), EVERYONE will be on that bandwagon. And it will be here in a mere 10 days. Reserve your seats now. Still plenty of room.

Here's one of my favorite parts of the Blog Poll: The weekly roundtables off the poll results. This week's is: Who's overrated? Who's underrated? Lots of great stuff here. (None from me, this week.)

Alert: Stop reading here if you don't care about other people's fantasy teams. (I think that disclaimer should be standard before any item about your own fantasy team, particularly during the height of draft season.)

Fantasy Football: After a fierce draft battle among DS.com commenters, the results are in. Picking 4th in a 10-team league, I got (in this order): Larry Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Chad Johnson, Brandon Jacobs, Calvin Johnson, Vernon Davis, Reggie Brown, Santana Moss, DeAngelo Williams, Jon Kitna, Vince Young, Chester Taylor, Denver D, DJ Hackett and David Akers.

Finally, in case it's not on your radar today, don't forget to take a moment to consider the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the civics outrage it should continue to provoke.

-- D.S.

Tuesday 08/28 A.M. Quickie:Vick, Brohm, Utley, Virginia Tech, More!

Monday was the first day of the rest of Michael Vick's life. (Or lack of one.) He worked the contrition angle. He worked the "got religion" angle.

"Immature?" Please: Bankrolling an illegal-gambling operation and killing dogs is less immature than simply immoral. (Hmm: If he had led off with "I've been immoral," he might have made more headway.)

Here's the lingering question: In an Instant History world, can a multi-year Vick expulsion create enough of a buffer to get him back into the NFL eventually?

"I will redeem myself," he said. We'll see about that. But then he uttered the most honest and realistic analysis of this entire fiasco: "I have to."

Meanwhile, the Falcons played on MNF last night. I didn't watch more than 30 seconds (it happened to be Johnson's TD pass to Henry), but I was struck with a Master Plan for the Falcons:

As long as this is a lost season for the Falcons (sorry: "transition" year) that they might as well write off this season (OK: tank), then put themselves in a position to draft franchise QB Brian Brohm, who happened to have played for Falcons coach Bobby Petrino at Louisville.

Here's the reality: An offensive-minded coach needs a great QB to build the team around (one who already knows the system is just a bonus).

As long as the Falcons aren't going to make the playoffs this year (and they won't), why not put themselves in position to turn it around as soon as possible with a spectacularly talented stud QB perfect for the new coach's offensive system?

Falcons fans (or if you put yourself in the position of Falcons fans): Wouldn't you sacrifice one season now (especially if it's a lost season anyway) for a better chance at a string of great seasons down the road?

More NFL: Lovie Smith isn't happy with Lance Briggs? Well, duh!

Tarvaris Jackson named Vikings starting QB: Guess Kelly Holcomb is just insurance.

MLB Stud: Chase Utley, who returned to the Phillies lineup just in time to go 3/5 (with a HR) and lead his team over the Mets in a near-must-win series.

MLB Dud: Astros manager Phil Garner and GM Tim Purpura, both fired. (Stud: Cecil Cooper, given Garner's job.)

Oh, and Mike Mussina was on the wrong end of a blowout loss to the Tigers (16-0!), calling into question whether he'll be of any value to the Yankees during the last month of the season.

Bonds 756: How much do you think the ball will go for when the auction sale starts today? The over/under is $500,000. I'll say "over."

USA Hoops: Team USA blew out Mexico in the second round, but "only" won by 27, with Carmelo leading the team with 28 points. (Best, if most overdone, story so far: Kobe the defensive demon.)

U.S. Open: On a night honoring the legendary Althea Gibson, it was nice to see her heirs, Venus and Serena, cruise to victories. (By the way, Serena was wearing the largest earrings I have ever seen on a tennis player. Didn't seem to stop her from powering her way to a win.)

CFB: If you didn't come around after noon yesterday, I revealed my pick to win the national championship: Virginia Tech.

Speaking of VA Tech, there's this interesting campaign to get Hokies fans to cheer opposing teams, to honor the support that opposing fans showed VA Tech after the shooting. I suspect that fans will welcome a team like East Carolina with support, then do what home fans are supposed to do: Root against them. It's not personal. And as long as ECU doesn't keep it close, they can expect to get an ovation as they leave the field, too. (Don't expect a similar treatment for, say, a tougher ACC rival.)

The preview continues today: Heismania. (No, Tim Tebow is not my pick to win the award. Maybe next year. For this year, all you have to do is look to my Heisman pick from last season.)

UPDATE: As you may have noticed, the Heisman list didn't go up. It'll go up tomorrow.

Tennis Gambling Scandal: Paul Goldstein says he was approached about throwing a match. I guarantee you this tennis scandal is so much worse than you can even imagine. Things like this usuall are.

Women's Hoops: Delle Donne is going to UConn.

Soccer: Could Chelsea poach Ronaldinho from Barca?

NBA Moves: The Suns signed second-round pick DJ Strawberry, notable only because Strawberry totally dominated the Vegas Summer League and looked entirely like the steal of the draft.

In Case You Missed It: My latest weekly guest-post for Deadspin on college football.

Fantasy Football: Tonight, I take part in my third draft of the month. Bragging rights are huge: It's the DS.com Commenters league.

Speaking of football prediction games, you only have a few days left to sign up for any of the four leagues (2 NFL, 2 CFB) I have set up. See the links on the right, group name: Daily Quickie Readers.

-- D.S.

College Football Preseason Top 25:Your National Champ: Virginia Tech

UPDATE! This week's edition of my Deadspin CFB guest-post is up.

Let's get right to it. Here's my preseason Top 25, with an emphasis on which team I think will win the national title.

1. Virginia Tech (BlogPoll: 8)
2. Florida (BP: 7)
3. West Virginia (BP: 5)
4. USC (BP: 1)
5. LSU (BP: 2)
6. Rutgers (BP: 21)
7. Michigan (BP: 3)
8. Texas (BP: 4)
9. Arkansas (BP: 20)
10. Louisville (BP: 10)
11. Wisconsin (BP: 9)
12. TCU (BP: 26)
13. Boise St (BP: 27)
14. Cal (BP: 12)
15. Penn St (BP: 13)
16. BC (BP: 33)
17. Tennessee (BP: 17)
18. Auburn (BP: 15)
19. Ohio St (BP: 11)
20. Oklahoma (BP: 6)
21. Hawaii (BP: 23)
22. Alabama (BP: 29)
23. Missouri (BP: 28)
24. Virginia (BP: 45)
25. Oregon (BP: 24)

BlogPoll Top 25 teams I had unranked:
Georgia (14)
UCLA (16)
Florida State (18)
Nebraska (19)
South Carolina (22)
Texas A&M (25)

Notes:

(1) This is how I predict the teams will finish the season, with my emphasis being on the Top 10 contenders. (20-25 was my guess at Top 25 sleepers.) As soon as there is actual 2007 performance on the field to account for, I'm sure this listing will change radically, particularly after Week 1.

(2) Yes, I am picking Virginia Tech to win the national title. Yes, that's driven in large part by the "it HAS to be the Hokies, this of all seasons" effect.

And, yes, this implies that I think that VA Tech will go down to Baton Rouge and upset LSU on 9/8, then -- using that as the springboard -- go unbeaten, with that win at LSU arguably the single-best win that any of the contenders will be able to point to.

And, in a CFB season likely to be defined by explosive offense, I love the Hokies' stifling D (not to mention returning experience on BOTH sides of the ball).

(3) I also think that it will be a moot point: VA Tech will be the only BCS team to go unbeaten. Of the rest of the contenders, I think Florida will take one loss at LSU, then beat LSU in the SEC title game on a neutral field. I think West Virginia will lose at Rutgers. I think crowd-consensus No. 1 pick USC will lose TWICE, at Oregon then at Cal. I think Rutgers will lose at Louisville. I think Michigan will beat Ohio State, but lose at Wisconsin. I think Texas will lose at Texas A&M, but not before they lose in a Week 3 shocker to TCU. (Of non-BCS teams, I think TCU and Boise State will BOTH go unbeaten, but only TCU will get to a BCS bowl game, on the strength of that win at Texas.)

(4) Yes, I recognize that I'm VERY down on Georgia, UCLA, Florida State and Nebraska. Probably too down.

(5) Here you go: Which team do YOU think will win the national title? Will they go unbeaten? Who will they be playing? If you foresee a messy ending, who will be involved and why will it be messy?

-- D.S.

Monday 08/27 A.M. Quickie:Vick, LLWS, Quinn, Twins, CFB, More!

Michael Vick to plead guilty today: It will be official, and then it's on to "How much time will he do?"

Not to mention: "How deep will Vick's snitchin' go?" (If nothing else, hopefully this episode puts to bed the myth of "stop snitchin'.")

And, finally, "What will the Falcons do about Vick and how quickly will they do it?"

Meanwhile, how surreal that on the day Vick pleads guilty, the Falcons play on national TV against the Bengals. Uh, think the topic will come up on MNF? They should just put Lester Munson in the booth as an extra analyst.

(Meanwhile, I wonder if Alberto Gonzalez timed his resignation to coincide with Vick's guilty plea, to take advantage of a news media pulled in several directions at once?)

MLB Stud: Georgia, which beat Japan for the LLWS title. (Yes, it's not an MLB Stud today, but a "Baseball Stud," and a nod to the kids.)

Name to Know: Dalton Carriker, who hit the game-winning home run in the 8th.

Meanwhile: I take back my mocking commentary of David Wells as the Dodgers' newest starting pitcher.

MLB Injury Watch: Chase Utley could come back tonight.

MLB Pennant Races: Suddenly, the Twins enter the picture. After (season) sweeping the Orioles, the Twins have won 5 in a row (9 of 12) and are only 5.5 GB the Indians, with a 3-game series in Cleveland coming up next. (Isn't it great that there is so much more playoff-race intrigue beyond the trite "Will the Yankees make it?")

NFL Preseason/Fantasy Watch: Wow, that Steelers offense looks a LOT more wide open in the Tomlin Era than the Cowher Era. There might not be a single WR star, fantasy-wise, but it should mean big numbers for Big Ben (and a lot of room for Willie Parker... IF he can keep that knee healthy).

NFL Dud: Lance Briggs. Is it now a "Lance-borghini?"

Meanwhile, Browns GM Phil Savage said that Brady Quinn won't start the team's opener. Not sure if he made any promises about whether (a) Quinn would play in the opener, or (b) Quinn would start Week 2. (And based on the way he played against the Broncos' first-team D, that could happen.)

U.S. Open: Predictions in tennis are even easier than golf. I'll take Roger Federer on the men's side, obviously. (On the women's side, I'll take Serena.)

CFB: Coming later this morning is the kickoff to our week-long College Football Preview discussion. Today: Top 25, with my pick for national champ. Teaser: It's not USC. And, no, it's not Florida, either. (Also: Keep an eye out on Deadspin this afternoon for my new weekly CFB guest-post.)

Intrigue: USC and Florida aren't really rivals, except that they now annually compete at the top of the recruiting and BCS standings. That's why it's slightly intriguing that USC won't allow WR Jamere Holland to transfer to Florida (That Holland's H.S. coach works at UF has something to do with it, but still: Seems like bad form.)

USA Hoops: US routs Brazil, which was widely considered the 3rd-best team in the field. All of these games are preliminary to a showdown with Argentina. (But even then, with the tournament's top 2 teams guaranteed a spot in the Olympics, what is the incentive – beyond pride – to win a game between them? Of course, the entire thing is an exercise in pride, so I suppose that's the motivation.)

More NBA: The Celtics really needed complementary "glue" players to go with their Big Three, and I think they got one in James Posey, a versatile defender who won't demand the shots that KG, Pierce and Allen will demand.

Golf "Playoffs": Part of the reason no one can take golf's "playoffs" seriously is because, by skipping this past weekend's events, Tiger Woods drops from 1st to 4th. Does anyone really believe he isn't still 1st? (This would be like USC going unbeaten, dropping out of the BCS system, then laughing as two other teams play for the "championship.")

Track: By this time next year, newly crowned World Champ sprinter Tyson Gay will be a household name, heading into the Olympics.

Mark Cuban to go on Dancing with the Stars: This is NOT the same as Emmitt Smith or Jerry Rice. But, man, does that guy have a Hall of Fame flair for self-promotion. (That's said in admiration, not scorn.)

In Case You Missed It: Jamie Mottram delivers the final word on jean shorts.

-- D.S.

Sunday 08/26 (Very) Quickie

Tyson Gay: World's Fastest Man?

Damon Huard: Least-fantasy-owned NFL starting QB?

Rex Grossman: How many more bungled plays?

USA Hoops: Could Canada have done any better with Steve Nash?

Ken Griffey: Can he reach 600 HR this season? (591 Saturday)

Michael Vick: Will the Falcons get their money back?

Randy Myers: Will he get in trouble for mixing it up with a reporter?

Saturday 08/25 (Very) Quickie

Vick suspended indefinitely: Is that the same as a "lifetime ban?" Effectively.

Doing Vick in was his statement of facts to the court: Bankrolling a dog-fighting and -gambling operation and killing dogs.

As Roger Goodell noted, the involvement in the gambling operation sealed it. (Not that we all didn't know it was coming.)

As for Vick's future: Jail time and the end of his NFL career.

Just in time for fans to put this behind them and move on to the start of the season...

Maddux: "10/20" Milestone. In a season of MLB milestones, Greg Maddux may have presented the most impressive -- and untoppable -- one yet:

At least 10 wins for the 20th straight season.

When talking about MLB milestones, you know how some people say that there are some -- mostly pitching-related, like those held by Cy Young -- that simply can't be broken by today's players. Well, Maddux topped a Cy Young-held record.

Congrats to one of the all-time great pitchers (probably my favorite pitcher of all time) on another amazing bullet-point in his career.

Meanwhile...

Josh Beckett earns win No. 16. Pole position for AL Cy Young?

Brady Daddy throws 2 TDs for Pats. Fatherhood suits him.

Jimmy Clausen admits he had arm surgery: Will he be Weis' choice for ND QB?

Reggie Miller staying retired: As mentioned yesterday.

One week from today: College football. (Yes, I recognize that LSU kicks off on Thursday. I'm talking nationwide.)

-- D.S.

Friday 08/24 A.M. Quickie:Vick, PFT, Driver, Redd, BlogPoll, More!

Vick won't admit to killing dogs or gambling: I understand why he wouldn't want to, but as everyone believes he did (both), the rehabilitation of his image (not to mention his NFL career) can't (or won't) begin until he 'fesses up. See PFT for more/everything.

Related: Great piece in Slate on ProFootballTalk, confirming what I've been saying all year: That PFT is the most influential and must-read NFL voice found anywhere, online or off. Nice work, Florio.

More Vick Watch: Blessed comedy relief to this story. Vick football cards chewed by dogs are up for auction on eBay and currently being bid at $455.

MLB Pennant Races: The Indians beat the Tigers to go up 2.5 games in the AL Central. If I had to declare a rooting interest, it would be for the Indians, if only because the Tigers enjoyed their fun last year.

David Wells joins the Dodgers: Over/under until the inevitable playoff-crushing implosion? 4 weeks.

Curt Schilling backed off his talk about joining the Devil Rays, but it would be a terrific fit. He wouldn't be on a contender, but he would be a mentor to an exciting young staff, particularly future "Face of Baseball" contender David Price.

Jags beat Packers: More importantly, the Packers lost WR Donald Driver to a foot injury, for who knows how long. Also, David Garrard provoked the stirrings of a QB controversy (though consider he played against the Packers' 2nd-team D.)

Saints crush Chiefs: After seeing the stats, here's the fantasy implication – aside from Peyton Manning, I think Drew Brees is the clear No. 2 fantasy QB in the league (sorry, Carson Palmer fans), and – if you are the type to take QBs in round 2 – he seems to be worth it (I'm a believer in the ol' RB-RB-WR, with perfectly capable QBs to be found in Rounds 5-6.)

Andy Reid's sons are some effed up kids. Maybe the father should consider taking the year off to help take care of what is obviously an incredibly troubled situation in his family.

USA Hoops: Doubles up the Virgin Islands. The question is: If Tim Duncan played for the V.I., could he have made it remotely closer? (Meanwhile, Michael Redd's 3-point shooting was on display. The Redd Factor is the second-biggest reason that USA Hoops will break out of its slump, with Kobe being the No. 1 factor.)

NBA: Reggie Miller won't be making a comeback. That's too bad, because he would have been a welcome sideshow, particularly in Boston.

Beckham tackled: Here's the scoop, Chivas – don't poop where you eat, especially when your "meal-ticket" is the league's biggest/only attraction right now. Perhaps the players were trying to capture some of the Beckham Effect by fronting (everyone else is prostrating themselves), but all you'll do is earn the wrath of Becks' teammates... and the league.

CFB: As I head into my one-year anniversary of blogging, next week, I've been thinking about the individual moments that have really stood out. Near the top of the list was my inclusion in the Blog Poll weekly college football Top 25 ranking, managed by the supremely talented Brian Cook.

Not only did I feel like a bonafide CFB pollster for the first time ever (a dream of mine since I was a kid), but I sincerely felt honored to be in the company of a group of folks whose expertise and passion, I'd argue, is deeper than either the AP pollsters (who don't consume nearly the games or the media coverage of a typical CFB blogger) or the coaches' pollsters (who, when the bother to fill out the ballot themselves, which most don't, are saddled with ridiculous gamesmanship tactics that make standard fan biases seem petty by comparison).

Anyway, the preseason Blog Poll Top 25 is out. Unsurprisingly, USC and LSU are 1-2. Michigan, Texas and West Virginia round out the Top 5. For the record, out of the entire group, there were six other bloggers besides me who didn't vote USC as No. 1.

(Someone will find it anyway: If you follow the links to "individual ballots" you can get a sneak preview of my first Top 25. Full(er) explanation coming Monday.)

-- D.S.