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Mitch Kupchak:
Who else thinks the easy part is over? Keeping Kobe?
Eh, he was always going to stay, apparently. Casting
for support? THERE'S a challenge.
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The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
PRIOR. RESTRAINT.
So the Springfield Shopper -- or
whatever paper it was -- is claiming that Randy
Johnson favors the Yankees, because he wants the best
chance possible in the postseason.
But if you believe in conventional wisdom that
postseason success hinges on quality starting
pitching, why would anyone think New York is more
desirable than Unit-suitors Boston (No. 1 AL ERA),
Oakland (2) or Anaheim (4), all with better pitching
than the Yankees.
(And pitching depth must certainly be on his mind
after his bullpen failed to save his brilliant
seven-inning performance.)
No, the right team for Johnson is the Cubs. And
with the new questions about Mark Prior's elbow
(following Thursday night's painful early exit), the
Cubs' priority should be doing whatever it takes to
bring the Big Unit to Wrigley.
If Boston was smart, if they can't get
Johnson themselves they should help the Cubs; the Red
Sox can't afford to have Johnson end up with the
Yankees. Think of it as the best kind of
collusion.
Kobe Stays
In case you missed my "Extra! Extra!"
addition to the Quickie yesterday afternoon after Kobe
announced he was staying with the Lakers, there was a
"made-bed/lie-in-it" gist:
Between the similar-sized supporting cast, constant
double-teams and the usual scrutiny, there should be
no shortage of drama as I officially unveil "The
Lakers'Drive for .500!" (TM).
K-Mart Goes
Carmelo, K-Mart, Camby, Nene: The most
talented front-court in the NBA and the most
versatile.
With no Shaq in the West, the Nuggets have the
quality -- and more importantly, the quantity
-- of size to contain Duncan, KG and Yao.
Prediction: West's No. 2 team
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CHECK OUT THE QUICKIE EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING! |
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| WHO'S GOT THE MOMENTUM ... |
Kiki Vandeweghe: In two seasons has created a contender
27-, 28-year-olds: Now eligible to audition for "Am Idol"
Ali G: Fewer laughs/30 min than Chapelle; still hilarious
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| ... AND WHO'S GOT NO MO' |
NJ Nets: Great backcourt of Kidd/R-Jeff...then what? Yikes
Tigers pitching: Holds Yankees to 5 hits -- all home runs!
French TV: Don't mess with our Lance, you Frenchy jerks
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British Open
Els Yeah! There's no better nickname
for a golf hole than Royal Troon's "Postage Stamp."
Any hole that allows the casual duffer -- or even the
fairly advance mini-golf player -- to think "I can hit
that distance" is one to watch.
And if you weren't watching, you missed Ernie Els'
hole-in-one Thursday. Doesn't that win him a coupon
book, some arcade tokens and a free soda from the
clubhouse?
NL East Madness
The most intriguing (dare I say
"exciting?") MLB race is the one with all the most mediocre records -- the Phillies,
Braves, Mets and Marlins in the NL East.
Battling the Phillies this weekend in a crucial
four-game series that they began with a win Thursday
night at Shea, New York joins Florida at just a game
out of first, leaving the Braves -- the bleepin'
Braves! -- tied with Philly for first, despite Atlanta
being written off at least a half-dozen times since
March.
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The lesson: In the second half of the season,
the least meaningful line item in the standings is
"Winning Percentage (PCT)." The only one worth
watching? "Games Behind (GB)."
BCS Reform
Which AI has a worse rap: The
villainous baddies of "I, Robot" or the BCS computer
polls?
And yet the coaches get away with the continued
ludicrous non-disclosure of their individual weekly
votes. As long as the poll system remains in the hands
of a "football-igarchy," can we at least have some
transparency? Apparently not.
As with opaqueness in big business, consumers have to
ask: What are they hiding?
Marion Jumps
The best part about Marion Jones
qualifying for the Olympics with that improbably long
jump Thursday is that now the media circus that she
seems to enjoy so much will intensify by about a
million.
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Cincinnati:
They must have thought they'd come in under the radar
while we were all looking at Kobe; Huggins reinstated
before Labor Day? Shameful.
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Today on ESPN.com
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| Page 2: Simmons mailbag |
| Stein: Wrong movie, Kobe |
| ESPY coverage |
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| Will Smith Movies |  Enemy of the State
| Totally underrated thriller
|  Independence Day
| Top eye-candy flick of '96
|  Bad Boys
| He's made for buddy-cop movies
|  Ali
| Role of his lifetime
|  Six Degrees
| | Best acting job, by farBest acting job, by far |
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It's not sexy to simply retain your own free agents
(unless you live in LA), but the Spurs did as good as
anyone, keeping Ginobili...
Best half-inning of pitching ever? Mike Schultz of
Calif. League throws 5Ks. FIVE! New record? No one
knows; it's got to be up there...
Derek Fisher may have been the glue that held the
Lakers together, but how soon before he comes undone
on the woeful Warriors?...
Tom Brady's backup: No more of a useless role in the
NFL; yet the Pats sign J Miller and K Kittner. What
happened to Rohan Davey?...
Martha Stewart Mania: With sentencing Friday, a full
weekend to let those old jokes about prison life
fly!...
Let's all give a last kudos to the Clippers: Points
for trying (and being a major player in the NBA
storyline of the summer)...
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