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Royals reclamation
Kevin Appier:
More omen-watching for legit Cinderella MLB seasons: How about Ape's KC homecoming: 6 IP, 3 hits, Royals stomp Yankees 11-0.
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The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
COLLEGE. MONEYBALL.
College sports' real No. 1?
"Cash." But a fascinating NCAA report released
today says more spending on college athletics
doesn't result in more wins, not to mention more
donations or better applicants. But before school
presidents slash those budgets ...
* The study only looked at operating
expenses (like salaries, scholarships and travel
costs), not capital expenses (like facilities,
which are a huge factor in wins/losses). So
small-budget schools shouldn't go shouting about a
"Moneyball" scenario prematurely.
* The study did nothing to debunk the conventional
wisdom that wins and losses themselves can
drive up alumni donations and admissions ratings. It
just exposes schools whch crank up operating expenses
justified by a presumed correlation to winning.
But the spotlight is on ADs: Where's the
return-on-investment? Hear that most schools' MBA
programs still have season tickets available.
PGA Preview
For you casual golf fans, here's a
cubicle-chatter cheat sheet: When asked about the
PGA Championship, comment Wow, that's some nasty
rough. When asked for a pick, say Tiger may be
due, but I'll take a non-Top 25 player. (If
questioned on this, simply say: "Two words: Rich
Beem." That'll quiet the office know-it-all.)
Marlins Magic
Florida is playing "Can you top
this?" ...with itself. For the second straight
night, a little used reserve (this time Mike Mordecai)
hit a game-winning home run in extra innings. The
turning point in any playoff race is when a team
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WELL, THERE GOES THE DECAPITATION BUSINESS ... |
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| THE SET-UP: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
1 Red Sox at A's: It's like the "Wild Card Playoffs"
2 Raiders at 49ers: NFL's tamer version of Stanford-Cal
3 PGA Champ.: Here's hoping regional weather improves |
| THE SIT-DOWN: DROP THESE FROM YOUR HOT LIST |
1 College athletic spending: Presidents get budget-buster
2 John Lucas, Baylor hoops coach: His kid wants a transfer
3 Maryland football: First probation; now lose RB Perry |
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believes they always have a chance to win; the
Marlins are there.
AL Wild Swings
Division races are lame (worse, half are
moot already): The real action is the wild-card
jockeying, particularly this week's crazy-intense
series between the A's and the Red Sox (Boston evened
up the WC standings last night after two losses).
They're not done: The rivalry moves East next
week for three at Fenway (after that, we'll have to
wait for the inevitable wishful-thinking wild-card playoff).
Piazza Returns
Given Mike Piazza's huge first game back since
mid-May (HR, 5 RBI in 9-2 W vs. Expos), you might be
tempted to say, "What if?" about the Mets' awful
summer. No worries: They still would have sucked; but they
just
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might have been able to unload him.
Knicks' New Lampe
Once considered unsignable, the NBA
draft-night cult-hero Maciej "Magic Lamp" Lampe struck
a deal with New York. The 7-foot Polish teen will be
the draft steal of the decade.
When he's a superstar, watch for the next great
Knicks-related conspiracy theory: The league
questioned Lampe's signability at the last minute so
that he'd fall to New York in the second round, where
contracts can be a lot more creative.
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The WAC:
NCAA study's biggest losers? This desperate bunch: Of any league, putting the largest share of overall school spending toward athletics.
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Today on ESPN.com
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| P2: Tuesday Morning Quarterback |
| College football preview |
| NFL: Training Camp |
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| "Madden 2004" Edition |  Franchise mode
| Expos' power outage symbolic
|  Coach mode
| Erickson unfazed by Raiders?
|  Owner mode
| Been too quiet from Boss lately
|  Create-a-player
| Pujols the perfect hitter?
|  Freestyle
| | X Games Madness |
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Albert Pujols Hit-Streak Watch: 27 games (best in MLB
this season) ...
Can Olympic pride affect nation-building? Athens 2004
invitees Iraq, Afghanistan will find out ...
Other big finding of NCAA report was that only 6
percent of D1A schools made money on sports, even
though 2/3 make money on football ...
Call new Mich. St coach John L. Smith "the
anti-Bliss." On reinstating QB Jeff Smoker (susp. for
substance abuse): "He's done with his treatment,"
Smith said. "But he has outpatient with me." ...
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