The New York Yankees have hired Joe Girardi as the new manager.  Girardi is the best choice as he was a Yankee and knows what is expected in the organization.  It is a three year deal worth about 6 million dollars.  Girardi was a bench coach under Joe Torre in 2005 and in 2006 won NL Manager of Year with the Florida Marlins but after some problems with the front office was fired.  One of the candidates, Don Mattingly will be moving on, most likely with Joe Torre to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  It is rumored that the Dodgers are willing

to offer Torre $14.5 million for three years.  Mattingly was not ready to manage, he still needs some more years of experience.  Moving to Los Angeles would be a great move for him because the Dodgers drafted his son Preston in 2006.  We are not expecting a World Series ring any time soon because the seasons to come are chalked up to be rebuilding years.  

 

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By turning the club over to a much younger manager in Joe Girardi and giving him a three-year deal, the Yankees have created a situation in which the manager's incentives more closely reflect the long-term goals of the club, which revolve around young pitchers.

If Joe Torre had agreed to stay, would he have been willing to balance the long-term needs of the club against his own desire to win in the current year? The Yankees apparently didn't think so. There's a bit of concern when you're trying to rebuild your roster around young players and your manager has a one- or two-year window until retirement.

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Steroids and testing continue to invade the sports scene. The newest allegations doesn't name any star athletes but it is still getting publicity just the same. The article introduces the idea that MLB team officials and trainers

hint at when drug testing is coming. This story will get the American public doubting the integrity of the program.

 

NEW YORK -- Baseball teams regularly receive up to nearly two days' notice before drug testing of players, The New York Times reported on its Web site Tuesday.

Officials of home teams are notified in advance to leave stadium and parking passes for the testers.

According to The Times, up to five players at a time are tested.

Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice president for labor relations, and players' union general counsel Michael Weiner were quoted as saying players are not given advance notice of tests and that it was not an issue.

Manfred told The Times: "We are very confident that no player has ever received advanced notice of a test. Even if a player knew a few hours before, there is precious little that can be done to subvert a test."

The Times reported that Manfred said that one person with each team -- often the general manager or the assistant general manager -- arranges access for the testers and a place to conduct the tests. One team told The Times that trainers "routinely" learn of the tests in the morning to prepare for them.

 

Read more about the Report...

Notre Dame running back Robert Hughes' older brother, Earl was killed in a shooting on Chicago's west side at the age of 24.  Earl Hughes, an athletic trainer was taken to Stronger Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery but failed to survive past 4:12 am.  Coach Charlie Weis gave Robert Hughes time off to go mourn and be with his family, "I told him to come back when he's ready to come back," Weis said Tuesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. "Something like that, how can you give him a time frame?"

For the past seven years the New York Knicks have been the laughing stock of the NBA. With the highest payroll in the NBA, and with the team still paying for playing long gone from the team like Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, and Allan Houston the team has been the doormat of the Eastern Conference. It wasn't until this summer that it was exposed they have issues off the court as well. After losing a sexual harrassment suit to Anucha Brown Sanders, and Isiah Thomas' ridiculous comments during the proceedings the Knicks look worse than ever. NBA commissioner David Stern is not happy with Knicks Management as the 2007-08 season gets under way.

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NEW YORK -- Even with the NBA season under way, commissioner David Stern hasn't forgotten the New York Knicks' embarrassing offseason.

In an ESPN interview broadcast Tuesday, Stern questioned the conduct of Knicks management, which lost a sexual-harassment case in early October.

Asked about the state of the Knicks, Stern said: "It demonstrates that they're not a model of intelligent management. There were many checkpoints along the way where more decisive action would have eliminated this issue."

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Can you accuse this coach of running up the score in the first quarter? It seems that they are beating the heck out of everyone.

SMITH CENTER, Kan. -- Smith Center scored 72 points in the first quarter of a high school football game Tuesday night on the way to an 86-0 win over Plainville, according to a report in the Salina, Kan., Journal.

Smith Center forced six turnovers in the first quarter as it racked up what is believed to be a record for points in a quarter by a high school team, the paper reported. The previous record was 66 by Prescott, Ariz., in 1925.

The defending state champion has outscored its opponents 640-0 so far this season, including a 69-0 win over Plainville earlier this year.

Brazil, the country with the most World Cup titles, will be the host of the 2014 World Cup. They were awarded this right on Tuesday by FIFA's executive committee.  The unanimous vote came on the same day the 2011 Women's World Cup was awarded to Germany. Germany, the host of the 2006 men's World Cup, beat out Canada.

Brazil was the only candidate for the 2014 World Cup because the rotation system meant it had to be played in South America. Colombia had said it would bid, but pulled out in April.

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) - The country with the most World Cup titles will finally get another chance to win one at home.

Brazil, which has won a record five World Cups, was awarded the right to host 2014 tournament Tuesday by FIFA's executive committee. The South American country hosted the competition once before, losing to Uruguay in the 1950 final.

The unanimous vote came on the same day the 2011 Women's World Cup was awarded to Germany. Germany, the host of the 2006 men's World Cup, beat out Canada.

"We want to be good hosts again," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a visit to India.

Brazil was the only candidate for the 2014 World Cup because the rotation system meant it had to be played in South America. Colombia had said it would bid, but pulled out in April.

"If you think the task of FIFA was made easier because Brazil was the only candidate, it's not true," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said. "For us it was a real challenge to have the same list of requirements, the same recommendations and conditions for only one candidate, than we had two. Perhaps we put the bar higher than if there had been two

After announcing Brazil as the 2014 host, Blatter handed the World Cup trophy to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who flew in for the event.

"Soccer is not only a sport for us. It's more than that," Silva said. "Soccer for us is a passion, a national passion."

He added: "If everything works out well, we will win once again a World Cup."

In Brazil, 50 mountain climbers hung an enormous national team jersey bearing the slogan "The 2014 World Cup is Ours" from majestic Sugar Loaf mountain in Rio de Janeiro. At the Maracana Stadium, workers spread jerseys across the field reading, "The new Maracana is ours and so is the 2014 World Cup."

"We are a civilized nation, a nation that is going through an excellent phase," Brazilian Football Confederation president Ricardo Teixeira said. "And we have got everything prepared to receive adequately the honor to organize an excellent World Cup."

Brazilian Sports Minister Orlando Silva, national team coach Dunga and veteran striker Romario were among those that also made the trip.

Since launching its bid, Brazil stressed that a World Cup will extend far beyond sports.

"Over the next few years we will have a consistent influx of investments. The 2014 World Cup will enable Brazil to have a modern infrastructure," Teixeira said. "In social terms will be very beneficial."

Tuesday's presentation was smoother than the one in July, which was laden with statistics and underlined Brazil's status as a developing nation with repeated images of its car factories.

Blatter had recently questioned Brazil's infrastructure and bid plans, but FIFA said last week that a stadium-inspection trip in August showed the country could put on an "exceptional" tournament

However, there have been delays in hosting some major events, problems with violence in the streets and the country's public transportation system is often overloaded.

The Brazilian soccer confederation estimates that construction and remodeling of stadiums will cost about $1.1 billion, though that could vary significantly depending on the cities chosen to host games.

Blatter said the lack of competition from other South American nations was one reason behind FIFA's decision Monday to do away with the rotation system that gave each continent a turn at hosting the World Cup. The decision takes effect with the 2018 tournament.

Germany has won the last two Women's World Cup titles, including this year's tournament without conceding a goal. It also has won the European Championship six times.

"Women's football is a great development opportunity around the world," German soccer federation president Theo Zwanziger said. "The ball finally is also there for the girls and the women."

Germany's presentation included a video showing career highlights of Birgit Prinz, a two-time FIFA player of the year.

"I'm just looking forward to the 2011 World Cup," said the Germany captain, who has scored more than 100 goals in nearly 170 international appearances. "It's going to be a great event.

The Germans listed 12 cities as sites, with the opener in Berlin and the final in Frankfurt.

Canada's bid was based on the strength of its under-20 World Cup this summer, which set attendance records for Canadian sports events and FIFA under-20 tournaments.

"We are in a competition," Blatter said in remarks to Canada. "And in competition there is always a winner and a loser. So I wish you well."

 

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Another battle between copyright holders and the general public. At issue now, is the posting of amateur video on YouTube that contains copyrighted material- music is most common. In the example that follows, music publishing house, Universal, serves notice to persons for using their copyrighted material. Now the self-publishers are fighting back and trying to establish their rights by claiming a fair use exemption.

Fair use is the legal defense where a person legally uses a copyrighted material for parody, comment, political speech or changes (transforms) the material.

Here, it is difficult to see how the material is changed or is used to comment on the material. An example in the article is a mother taping a child dancing to "Lets Go Crazy." Is this similar to using the song in a movie? Both result in a commercial venture- movie tickets and advertising revenue. Is this similar to playing the song on a jukebox? I think in both cases the answer is yes. But instead of going after the individual mother, perhaps the payment should come from YouTube.

 

                 Joe Torre exemplifies what being a New York Yankee is. Loyalty, intelligence, a class act, and a winner.  The Yankees treatment of Torre following the Yankees 3 games to 1 washout at the hands of the Indians in the Division Series was unjust. His players all love him, and all loved their time playing for him (except for Gary Sheffield, the T.O. of Major League Baseball). On the contract sheet that was offered to Torre, bonuses were given for each round he advanced throughout the playoffs. The contract shaped up to about this:

-          Base salary of $5 million.

-          $1 million bonus for reaching the ALDS.

-          $1 million bonus for reaching the ALCS.

-          $1 million bonus for reaching the World Series.

All this coming off a contract in which his base salary was $7.5 million. What did Torre do to earn such a slight? He reached the playoffs for twelve consecutive seasons (1996-2007). But maybe his work was a bit overrated. Well, Torre's track record prior to becoming the Yankees manager is nothing short of abysmal. With the Mets, Braves, and Cardinals, Torre was a combined 894-1,003. A .471 winning percentage (most of which is due to his 5+ years with the Mets, in which he compiled a 286-420 record) is nothing to get excited about. Some argue that he fell into the right place at the right time with the Yankees. But those late '90's teams were nothing special talent wise compared to today's club. A young nucleus, headed by the likes of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera were surrounded by established veterans like Paul O'Neill, Scott Brosius, and David Cone. The Yankees were a team with confidence, a team with a swagger about them when they approached the batters box. As an opposing fan, you just knew they were going to get that big hit. Nine times out of ten, they did. Joe Torre managed those teams, and no matter how much talent a team carries, winning is something that must be flowing throughout an organization, from the owner to the general manager to the manager and on to the players. It has to become infectious, almost like an illness. Teams filled with superstars and egos bigger than their hearts always go home in October.

                Evidence to that fact is the present day Yankees. Before Abreu, A-Rod, Posada, Pettitte, and Mariano all leave, that team is probably the most talented group of players that I have seen in my lifetime. Yet they have lost in the ALDS four of the last six years. Some argue that "the Yankees level of excellence and expectations is higher than other clubs." Do you want to know what I think the Yankees level of excellence and expectations is?  "Out of my great respect for Mr. Torre, I have refrained from comment until he had a chance to address the public. In my eyes, Joe Torre is more than a Hall of Fame manager. He is a friend for life, and the relationship we have shared has helped shape me in ways that transcend the game of baseball. His class, dignity, and the way he respected those around him--from ballplayers to batboys--are all qualities that are easy to admire, but difficult to duplicate. I have known Mr. Torre for a good majority of my adult life, and there has been no bigger influence on my professional development. It was a privilege to play for him on the field, and an honor to learn from him off the field." That is a direct quote from Yankee captain and future Hall-of-Famer Derek Jeter.

                The Yankee franchise is crashing, and who knows if Steinbrenner has enough energy to save it. With Torre gone, Posada, Pettitte and Rivera are likely to follow as well as possibly Abreu. A-Rod was gone anyway, he planned on taking Steve Miller's advice to just take the money and run. Which leads to the future, and what does it hold for this franchise? Following the Red Sox sweep of the Rockies in the World Series, it is now two championships in four years for the beleaguered fans in Beantown. Alex Rodriguez is opting out of his mega-contract, only to sign an even more monstrous one with a lucky team. I don't see how the Yankees can just let him go. You never let the best player in the league just leave. And when that day comes, a new era will begin. The Red Sox will be annual World Series contenders, as the Yankees writhe in mediocrity with first round playoff exits becoming the standard. Funny how things work. It seems like yesterday that the Yankees stole A-Rod from Boston out of nowhere. He was pretty much fitting his Red Sox cap when the news broke that Alfonso Soriano was headed to Texas and Rodriguez would move to third base next to his "buddy" Derek Jeter. Maybe they got too greedy. First Babe Ruth, now A-Rod? What if the curse is reversed? What if Rodriguez signs with say, the Cubs, and they go on to break their curse as he has a huge postseason? What if, fifty years from now, we look back and acknowledge the Curse of A-Rod?

For all of those who were concerned that the NLL close out would continue, its all over.  "There will be a 2008 NLL season, league commissioner Jim Jennings officially announced to members of the media via teleconference on Thursday evening. Which teams will be participating during the season, when it will begin, when it will end, and how many games will comprise the regular season schedule, however, has yet to be determined, leaving perhaps more questions than answers about what fans of the league can expect to see this year".  This years NLL season although being played short of many teams, will still be fun and exciting like always.  With the big hits, goals being scored, staggering defense and the obvious fights, whats there not to love.  In order for this sport to continue its growth as a league teams and players will have to make many player agreements and hopefully money wont be an issue like it is in other sports. 

 

More Lax....

At the beginning of this hockey season, the Ottawa Senators presented the Binghamton Senators with a gift. Binghamton, who is the AHL affiliate for Ottawa, received the digital video analysis software XOS to replace their old, outdated method. "With a fairly new coaching staff, this is a learning experience for all of us on the coaching staff," affirmed B-Sens head coach Cory Clouston.

Clouston, a native of Viking, Alta., enters his first season as head coach of the Binghamton Senators following a decorated coaching career for the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League. "We are currently working with XOS representative Doug Cole and an intern from a local college intern that is familiar with the system.

The Senators' use of the software is pretty basic at this point. An intern implements a live tagging technique throughout the game which is very efficient. This means that by the end of the game, the game tape is already coded and ready for the coach to look at. Certain targets the intern looks for differ from shots and turnovers to hits and fore-checks. That saves a lot of time as each period carries around 100-125 tags, totaling almost 400 a game. "It's a pretty good feeling knowing that after the game we, as a coaching staff, don't have to sit around in the arena for another two hours after the game to review the game.

Live tagging isn't the only thing the Sens are looking to do. "With the help of this intern, we are hoping to put together presentations on things we need to work on and display the video up on the big screen in our locker room... whether it be for practice purposes or during game intermissions," explains Clouston.

As in the NHL, the home team is responsible for providing game copies to the opposing team, as well as AHL officials. In edition, teams offer a firewire connection of the game that can be plugged right into a laptop that allows you the use the method of live tagging.

The Binghamton Senators are currently 3-3-1 on the season so it will be interesting to see how this software will effect the season on the whole as opposed to last year's record of 23-48-4. "What are we doing is just the tip of the iceberg, I see the use of this XOS software as a cornerstone to what will become a successful season for us this year."

"Embarrassing." That is the one word that Hall of Fame running
 back Marcus Allen used to describe the NFL's retirement fund in February of 2006 according to the Oakland Tribune. Allen is not the only person to criticize the retirement plan as many other former NFL players have voiced their opinions as well. It was such a big issue last winter that ESPN's Outside the Lines ran a story in which they interviewed disgruntled retired players and provided numbers to prove how embarrassing the retirement plan really is. Former Buffalo Bills guard Joe DeLamielleure provides a great example as to how vast the difference is between the pension plan for MLB compared to that of the NFL. Joe DeLamielleure decided to take his pension at age 45 and now receives a minuscule $992 per month.  If he had played a similar career for MLB he would be collecting $6000 per month.
 According to ESPN.com, on Wednesday the NFL has added $10 million dollars to its medical fund for retired players. This amount of money will be added to the $7 million dollar fund that was agreed upon by the NFL and the NFLPA. It looks as if America's biggest professional sports league is finally digging into it's pockets and taking care of retired warriors who have sacrificed their health and well being for the game of football.

This year's Chicago Marathon was faced with a tremendous weather challenge. The overwhelming heat and humidity caused many problems for the runners. In fact, the race was shut down about 3 hours into the race meaning most runners were not allowed to finished half the race.

Tragically a runner who suffered a heat related injury was picked up by a suburban ambulance service. Because of the size and scope of the event, using additional medical personnel was a very good idea. However, this ambulance was not given proper instruction to where they should deliver injured runners. The ambulance got lost while trying to get to the hospital and the runner died.

As event managers, this should not happen. The athlete and spectator's welfare must be the highest priority. The fact that the ambulance did not have the correct information is inexcuseable.

 The NHL going over to Nagano, Japan in 1998 and participating in the Olympics was a big step for showcasing hockey at its highest level for the entire world to see. Before the NHL had the opportunity to go to the Olympics there were international tournaments called Canada Cups. The Canada Cup was played in 1976, '81, '84, '87, and '91. The Canada Cups were the only international tournaments where countries could put their best talent on the ice including NHL players. These tournaments were dominated by the former U.S.S.R and Canada but the world were able to watch the best from Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, and United States. Who wouldn't want to watch Wayne Gretzky play with Mario Lemieux on the same line?

            In 1996 the Canada Cup changed its name to the World Cup of Hockey. Held in the summer of 1996 it gave NHL players the chance to participate. The level of hockey played in that tournament was amazing. Hockey in the U.S. received a boost from the Gold Medal winning team U.S.A led by the amazing goaltending of Mike Richter. The U.S. beat team Canada for the Gold Medal 2-1 in a best of three game series. The World Cup of Hockey was in hiatus until 2004. The International Ice Hockey Federation decided to hold the tournament in September of 2004. The tournament was a flop with the black cloud of an imminent NHL lockout coming in three weeks. The tournament seemed to lose its mystique since the NHL had participated in two Olympic Games since the last World Cup of Hockey was held in 1996. Just two years before the same teams were playing in the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The product had become stale, people wanted something fresh.

            Fresh out of a lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-2005 NHL season the NHL decided to once again send their players to the Olympic Games this time in Turin, Italy. The Olympics did not fare well for the NHL players. After playing over fifty games for their respective NHL teams the players had to play five round robin games in eight days. The players were tired and it showed on the ice. After the Olympics many players such as Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka of the New York Rangers said it would be the last time they suit up for their country in an international competition. There are currently no plans for a World Cup of Hockey in 2008. With the 2010 Vancouver Olympics coming up two years after the NHL players want either the Olympics or World Cup, not both. Defenseman Adam Foote of the Columbus Blue Jackets, for one, is of two minds but leans toward participation. "I think guys talk about that, let's make it one or the other," said Foote, a veteran of the 1996 and 2004 World Cups and the 1998 and 2002 Olympics. "Every two years I think it's hard to get the guys together, especially with the way the NHL schedule is. Although personally, I love the old Canada Cup" (www.cbc.ca). Calgary Flames star Jarome Iginla agrees with Foote. Iginla likes the World Cup but if pressed would prefer the Olympics. "I like both events but what I like of the Olympics is that guys have been playing all year and they're at the top of their game," the star winger, who played in the 2002 Games and '04 World Cup. "It's a little different in September. It makes for quicker and better hockey in the Olympics. I like the World Cup but if it was one or the other I'd rather watch the Olympics and play in it" (www.cbc.ca). There are still star NHL players who want to participate in a World Cup of Hockey. Players like Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators both remember watching Canada Cups on television as a child and want to carry on the tradition and would miss not playing.

            Do the NHL and IIHF need to hold a World Cup of Hockey anymore? The purpose of the old Canada Cups was to showcase the World's best on an international stage because they could not participate in the Olympics. Now with the NHL being in the past three Olympic Games the product might be over used. Hockey fans around the world will look forward to the Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010. It comes down to supply and demand. The demand for these "dream teams" was very high before the NHL started going to the Olympics. But the supply has come every two years, and something that's supposed to be special has become ordinary. So far no plans have been made to hold a 2008 World Cup of Hockey. The ideal time to hold them would be sometime in August 2008. The time is running out for the NHL and IIHF to plan for a possible tournament. International hockey will benefit in the long run, as anticipation of the 2010 Olympic Hockey Tournament will be heightened.

 

 

The recent wildfires in the state of California have affected teams in more ways than you think.

Most of the public is aware that the NFL's San Diego Chargers have been forced to practice in the Arizona Cardinals facilities. And right now it stands that the Chargers will play the Houston Texans in San Diego, but Commissioner Goodell and team representatives are discussing a change of venue, or date. Some options include: playing the game in Los Angeles, Arizona State's Sun Devil Stadium, Texas Stadium in Dallas or Reliant Stadium, the Texans' home field.

On the collegiate side the BYU v. San Diego State college football game has been rescheduled because Qualcomm Stadium is being used as an evacuation center. Much like the Superdome was used during Hurricane Katrina. According to recent reports some SDSU athletes have visited Qualcomm to pass out blankets and food to evacuees.

Times like these make the public aware that not everything in life centers around sports, and that sometimes we need to put sports on hold and take care of life.

http://blog.cortland.edu/dmlykos/2007/10/23/no-football-during-cali-fire/

After a record breaking length of the draft last year the NFL has decided to make some changes to hopefully keep

viewers on television and in the audience entertained. The draft last year was composed of three rounds on the first day, the first round teams were allowed 15 minutes in between picks and 10 minutes in the next two rounds. Now teams will only be allowed 10 minutes between picks in the first round and 7 minutes between picks in the second round. The third round has been pushed back to day two which will also have the rest of the draft.

The Associated Press reports,

"PHILADELPHIA -- The NFL on Tuesday cut from 15 minutes to 10 the time between picks in the first round of its draft after a 2007 record round of 6 hours and 8 minutes.

It also moved the starting time of the draft from noon ET to 3 p.m. and limited the first day to two rounds instead of three."

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Nike Inc. has reached an all cash agreement with Umbro plc, a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand with more than 70 years of experience in the world's No. 1 sport and the world's biggest football market.

"Umbro is a brand with a powerful heritage and deep experience in the world's most popular sport and the world's biggest football market," said Nike, Inc. President and CEO Mark Parker.

The acquisition will significantly expand Nike's global leadership in football, a key growth category for the company. Since the early 1990s, Nike has grown its football revenues from about $40 million to approximately $1.5 billion and established brand leadership in the sport.

In the wake of Sunday's game the anticipation by the NFL is tremendous.  The NFL is one of the last professional leagues to become part of the global market when it comes to broadcasting and playing games overseas.  It is basic knowledge that in today's world it is a necessity to globalize because it is the way to stay establish for a longer period of time.  Even though the game itself is not going to live up to the whole event of playing the game oversea it is still going to be a big day for the NFL and probably gross the most watched game this year.  With the image of the NFL a little tarnished from this past off season occurrences this is a new direction the commissioner wants to go and though it is consider a risky event it is going to be highly publicize.  So even if the game does not work out it still will be in every newspaper and on sports shows everywhere.  Making it worth it from a marketing and PR stand-point 

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It starts on Sunday, across the ocean.

Sunday is when the Giants and Miami Dolphins play the National Football League's first regular-season game held overseas, at sold-out Wembley Stadium in London. For the most American of sports leagues, it is a trial balloon to uncharted territory.

If the game goes well -- meaning, mostly, that owners of the league's 32 teams see that it can cause a happy ruckus in London without the trip feeling foreign to the teams involved -- the N.F.L. likely will play two overseas games each of the next four seasons, as part of a resolution already approved by owners.

If Waller, who leads the league's international operations, has his way, each team will play a game on foreign soil every season beginning in five years. A team will be based on a different continent by 2020. And future Super Bowls will be played in overseas stadiums, perhaps Wembley, a possibility floated again by Commissioner Roger Goodell last week.

"I don't think you can be meaningful forever if you're not part of the global community, particularly in this day and age," Waller said.

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After writing the back page column with Sports Illustrated for the last 22 years, Rick Reilly has decided to leave and go to ESPN. Reilly is one of the most popular sports columnists in the United States today. He will be leaving SI when his contract expires at the end of October. This news comes one day after SI announced that they had signed ex ESPN anchor Dan Patrick.
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New York Times reports:

Rick Reilly, who has written for Sports Illustrated for 22 years and whose "Life of Reilly" column is in the final page of the magazine each week, is leaving to join ESPN.

ESPN would not offer details about what Reilly would do. The company spokesman Mike Soltys and Reilly's agent, Janet Pawson, said discussions were continuing. "There's nothing to announce," Soltys said.

Reilly's departure comes one day after Sports Illustrated announced a deal with Dan Patrick, the former ESPN "SportsCenter" anchor and radio host. Patrick will write a column for the magazine and have his new radio program simulcast on SI.com.

Reilly's humorous and sometimes poignant columns have been a high-profile part of the magazine, and he also contributes "Riffs of Reilly" on SI.com, in which he appears in animated form offering funny commentary.

Read On...

ESPN.com is reporting that David Beckham finally returned to playing soccer for the LA Galaxy on Thursday. After being out with a knee injury since late August Beckham finally felt healthy enough to contribute for most of the second half. Although he is not 100% the 32 year old definitely makes a big difference when he is out on the field. Nearing the end of the regular season the Galaxy need all the help they can get to receive the final play-off berth.

Beckham has been a huge let down because he has been injured for most of the time he has been in the U.S. Although he drawn thousands of fans to the games he still has to prove himself here on American soil.  

MSNBC reports that Beijing organizers plan to stage the longest torch relay in Olympic history - an 85,000-mile, 130-day route that would cross five continents. The Olympic torch is traditionally lit at Olympia, Greece and carried by relayers to the host city. It has gone out Twice in the past, but this new torch technology is designed to hold up to gale-wind forces...

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BEIJING (AP) -Beijing organizers are designing a high-tech Olympic torch capable of withstanding gale-force wind, torrential rain and even the oxygen-thin air atop Mount Everest.

To eliminate chances of the flame going out, authorities have set up a torch design lab under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday...

Read On...

        Paul Byrd of the Cleveland Indians is being accused of using human growth hormones, otherwise known as HGH.  The media's role in this accusation, along with many other accusations of this type, is overwhelming.  In fact the only reason that the subject is being pursued is because the media, specifically the San Francisco
Chronicle, reported that Byrd, bought HGH between 2002 and 2005.
        The media has played a dominant role in these issues since the concern of illegal use of steroids and HGH surfaced and the attention to this matter is only growing in the media and the public's eye. With the Chronicle reporting this, only hours before game 7 of the American League Championship Series, one can only assume that it played a role in the outcome of the game.  Such accusations I'm sure put not only Byrd on edge but the entire team.  It certainly would not have helped the already heighted nerves prior to a game that would decide whether the Indians made it to the World Series game for the first time in a decade.
        While the issue of steroids and HGH usage is a serious problem, the media's timing could not have been more wrong.  The Chronicle reported this on the day of game 7 merely to create a frenzy.  This is only
supported by the fact that they reported usage between 2002 and 2005. This does not mean that still today Byrd is using HGH.  In fact HGH was banned by the MLB in 2005 therefore, according to these accusations, Byrd seems to have cut use since the ban.  Therefore, this announcement could have waited until after the series outcome was determined.   While Byrd denied having ever used drugs that were not specifically prescribed I'm sure the media's choice to announce this accusation on this day was planned.  It was a malicious decision and only shows how uncaring the media is.  Byrd shared his disappointment with the media's decision and stated, "I'm dealing with my medical history on a night when I should be talking about Jake Westbrook and the Cleveland Indians."

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BOSTON - With the Indians on the brink of their first World Series berth in a decade, Paul Byrd was fingered Sunday as the latest suspect in a widening investigation into illegal use of steroids and human growth hormone.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Byrd, 36, bought roughly $25,000 worth of HGH and syringes between 2002 and 2005 from the same Florida anti-aging clinic that other athletes have allegedly used to obtain performance-enhancing drugs.

The Chronicle story ignited a media firestorm only hours before Game 7 of the American League Championship Series Sunday night, with Byrd, Indians general manager Mark Shapiro and Major League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney addressing a horde of reporters outside the visitors' clubhouse.

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The fantasy sports coverage on AOL was definitely much weaker then I expected.  AOL's main fantasy sports page currently is only covering fantasy football.  With football being the most popular fantasy sport taking place currently, AOL certainly should have most of its content focused on it.  However, it is disappointing for fantasy basketball owners and hockey owners a like that no coverage is focused on basketball or hockey.  The page layout is also quite weak for AOL fantasy sports.  The page contains a large number of ads that clutter the page as well as a great deal of lead text and few, small pictures for each of the articles.  The amount of text and ads on the fantasy sports page makes for a bland and boring layout.  With all the bad aspects of AOL's fantasy sports coverage being noted, it is also important to note the good aspects of AOL's fantasy sports page.  AOL fantasy sports offers fantasy football for free with both public and custom leagues.  AOL's fantasy page also has an interactive weekly poll for fantasy gamers to vote on which player they believe will have the best fantasy week at a specific position.  With such little fantasy content, AOL Fantasy sports page is certainly not a must visit site, my recommendation is to visit one of the other fantasy web sites previously critiqued.

http://sports.aol.com/fantasy/ 

 

The Buffalo Bills are hopeful to expand their fan base into Canada by playing a preseason and regular season game in Toronto. Most of the Bills fans are located in Central and Western New York and this would be an attempt to capitalize on the close proximity to Toronto. There is a chance that the Bills could play a preseason game in Toronto next season and a regular season game there the year after. This comes a year after Willis McGahee said that the Bills should move to Toronto because he didn't like the city of Buffalo. The Bills have said that this is to expand the fan base and not a first step in relocation.
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SI.com Reports:

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- The Buffalo Bills intend to play a few games in Canada, eh?

That's the plan after the Bills, on Thursday, announced they are seeking approval to play a preseason and at least one regular-season game in Toronto as part of the franchise's attempt to expand its market base beyond western New York.

"The team hopes to capitalize on the increasing interest of fans in the Canadian market by playing a regular season game in Toronto," the Bills announced in a release.

The Bills hope to play a preseason game at Toronto next summer with plans to play a regular-season game as early as 2009. The games would be played at Rogers Center, a downtown stadium with a retractable roof that serves as home to baseball's Blue Jays and the Canadian Football League Argonauts.

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Joe Torre has finally stood up to the New York Yankees' front office. Torre was looking for a 2-year deal while the offer that was put on the table was 1-year $5 million, with up to $3 million in performance bonuses. Some may say that he rejected it because it was a 29% decrease in pay, but how much did pride factor into his decision?

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NEW YORK -- After all he had accomplished -- four World Series titles, 12 straight years in the playoffs, almost certain entry into the Hall of Fame -- and after all the indignities, this was one Joe Torre wasn't going to stand for.

He wasn't going to take a pay cut from the New York Yankees, no matter that he still would have been the highest-paid manager in baseball, and he certainly wasn't going to prove himself all over again.

Torre walked away Thursday, turning down a $5 million, one-year contract --
$2.5 million less than he made this season, when the Yankees failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year.

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