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Road-ragin'
Calgary Flames:
This lack of home-ice advantage is baffling. Last night, Calgary won in San Jose to take a 3-2 series -- and the road team has won every game.
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The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
OLYMPIC. IDOL.
And the finalists are ...
Fantasia! Diana! Jasmine!
Wait a second ...
Who sent me this story link?
Here they are, America ...
Your 2012 Olympic finalists: Paris! London! Madrid!
Moscow! And New York City! (Does that make Leipzig the
"LaToya" of host cities?)
The IOC selection process is so opaque (if "opaque"
means "untraceable Swiss bank account"), it makes the
voting shadiness on "American Idol" look
on-the-level.
Nevertheless, New York being named as an Olympic
host-city finalist is a little like Miss New York
being named a Miss America finalist: There's some
name-brand cachet, but no chance she beats out
her sexier siblings. "Finalist" status is flattering,
but the realities make it just a "reali-tease."
As a New Yorker, I'll argue NYC has a host-worthy
commuter infrastructure (sort of), but Manhattan is
pretty tight on space as is (see my apartment). It's a
classic bait-n-switch: Say New York, but mean
Queens ... New Jersey ... or even
Westchester.
What's in a naming? There's no way they would
have gotten this far if the Olympic bid came from the
"Tri-State Area." Seems like the IOC is using NYC to
get some b-u-z-z.
KG: Bad Word Choice
Maybe taking an elbow to the face
bobbled KG's brain a little. What else could explain
his ridiculous (not to mention inappropriate)
tirade on Monday. The words do the work:
"It's Game 7, man. That's it. It's for all the
marbles ..." Sounds OK so far ...
"Sitting in the house, I'm loadin' up the pump."
Hunh?
"I'm loadin' up the Uzi. I got a couple M-16s, a
couple 9s. I got a couple joints with some silencers
on them." Uh, Kevin ...
"I'm just loading clips, a couple grenades. I got a
missile launcher with a couple of missiles. I'm ready
for war." Dude, get a grip.
Heat-Pacers Game 6
Only thing you need to know: "At
Miami." (Wait: You also need to know that the Heat
have won 18 straight at home.)
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CHECK OUT THE QUICKIE EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING! |
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| WHO'S GOT THE MOMENTUM ... |
Indians ace Cliff Lee: First Tribe P to start 5-0 since '95
Shannon Sharpe: Will be even better on TV than as TE
Maurice Greene: Sprinter supports life ban for cheaters |
| ... AND WHO'S GOT NO MO' |
Leipzig, Istanbul, Rio: Booted from Oly 2012 host comp
Andre Agassi: Loses to No. 339 player in French warmup
Superstar USA: Takes reality-TV cruelty to new (LOL) low |
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The irony is that the Heat is probably
more confident than the Pacers, even though
Indiana leads the series 3-2.
Troy is Hurtin'
Call them the "DL-Stars": The Angels'
injured list could provide half an All-Star Game
lineup. The latest: 2004's top AL slugger Troy Glaus
(11 HR in 108 AB) will be out indefinitely -- potentially the
entire season after shoulder surgery.
The wildest part: Currently touting an MLB-best 25
wins, Anaheim will still win the AL
West.
Wells Watch
Probably not from sneezing, David Wells
is out for two starts because he unexplainably sliced
his right wrist and left palm late Sunday night.
Rumor-mongers are buzzing over the cause, but forget
that: Has he tried the now-famous "Moises Alou
Solution?"
Twins: The New A's?
Ever since Billy Beane gave Eric Chavez
that not-so-Moneyball big fat contract last winter,
the search has been on for the "new A's" -- meaning:
the low-budget team that still wins.
Call it "Minny-ball": Winning their sixth in
seven games Monday night, the Twins are the bandwagon
pick. With a lower payroll than Team Moneyball,
Minnesota still has a better record than either the
Yankees or the Red Sox (and, oh yes: Oakland.)
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Woman Coaches Men
My problem with the ABA expansion
Nashville Rhythm hiring the first woman to coach a
men's pro team is not the gender thing; it's the
experience thing.
Ashley McElhiney is all of 22, with zero coaching
experience. Kudos to the team for an excellent
marketing ploy, but it will only set back McElhiney's
career -- not to mention the legitimacy of more
seasoned female coaches eventually getting jobs
coaching men's teams.
Nickname Quiz
Remember last week's quiz? The D1
college nicknames that (a) don't incorporate a color;
(b) don't incorporate an animal; and (c) don't end in
"s." The answers:
D1 Football:
Fighting Illini (Illinois)
Fighting Irish (Notre Dame)
Midshipmen (Navy)
D1 Hoops:
Minutemen (UMass)
Pride (Hofstra)
Gentlemen (Centenary)
Alternate (yet "official"):
Ramblin' Wreck (Ga. Tech)
Women of Troy (USC)
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Anthony Peeler:
NBA rightly suspends him two games (that means Game 7 of West semis and Game 1, if necessary, of West finals vs. L.A.) for clocking their MVP.
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Today on ESPN.com
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| Page 2: Athlete stars with no hands |
| NFL: Offseason overviews |
| Peter Gammons chat wrap |
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Ranking 2012
Olympics host
Contenders |  New York
| Has commuter infrastructure
|  London
| Apple can light the torch
|  Moscow
| OK to root for longshot
|  Madrid
| But is it safe?
|  Paris
| | The French? Please |
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Heat-Pacers Game 6 prediction: Heat win in a rout,
forcing the once-unlikely Game 7 back in
Indiana ...
How bad is the Raiders' offense? So bad that Oakland signed ex-Cowboys stiff Troy Hambrick ...
Another h.s. hoopster (Josh Smith) gets a multi-mil deal
from adidas: again, for that kind of $, you wouldn't
go to college either ...
Just released from prison, Riddick Bowe wants to fight
again: Now *that* may be the big-pub fight that
Antonio Tarver wants ...
Marquette alum offers $2 mil to school to revert
nickname back to Warriors: Can't put price on feelings
of those it offended ...
The NBA may shorten the first round by 3 days: Great,
now what about this endless second round? No game
Monday? Ridiculous ...
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