REPORTING FROM THE JOCK-OSPHERE:
TRAINING CAMP

Donovan shows us what's behind the curtain in Lehigh:

"Besides the practice that is open to the fans, there are meetings, lifting, and treatments," he writes. "Don't get me wrong we do have down time. During those times I like to stay off my feet. I might lay down and sleep or watch TV. Our accommodations are not bad - we all have our own bedrooms and every few players share an adjoining suite. I share an apartment with Brian Dawkins. We get along great but don't spend a lot of time together in the room. Maybe we'll watch some TV, talk about things we noticed at practice, or occasionally we'll go catch a movie. In the past if the coaches gave us the night off, I might drive home to see my wife and daughter.

"Sounds boring I know. The important thing is that we are here as a team to become better football players and build some chemistry with each other."

Chris Cooley: Ice Tub Trumps Coffee

I guess that makes sense: immersing your entire body into a bath of ice- that would seem to generate a larger jolt than a cup of joe:

"It's 6:00 a.m. Took me three alarms going off and six snooze buttons before I finally woke up," he writes. "I wanted to get something new for the blog last night, but had nothing on my mind. I figured if I got up 20 minutes early I could have a new perspective, maybe looking forward to a new day and not looking back. Coffee calling my name was the only hope I had for dragging my ass out of bed this early and at least I can sit and gripe with the guys at the breakfast table about how I would run training camp different.

"…Before practice I think I'm gonna spend about 15 minutes in the ice tub, much better than the coffee for the mornings. I actually depend on the little routine I run through to prepare myself for practice, it will be close to the only time I will have to myself today. Morning practice is going to be the toughest part of the day to get through, although the team has gotten in a pretty good practice groove the mornings still seem to last a long time.

"After practice I put together an event with the Redskins charitable foundation. I convinced the rest of the tight end group to join me. We invited 25 kids from the children's hospital that could make it out to Redskins Park. We will get a chance to hang out with all the kids for a while, hopefully we can at least give them a fun morning. Before they leave I put together a bunch of duffel bags containing PSP's, games, hats, autographs, and some other cool stuff for them to take back to their rooms. I stole the idea from Drew Brees, but I thought it was way cool. By the way, for all the people buying jerseys, shirts and stuff, this is where the money is going. Everyone thought I was lying and taking in some extra cash, but don't worry, I'm putting it to good use so thanks for shopping at our store."

Don't mention it, Chris. When can I expect my hot pants?

Scott Reifert: Inside The Griffey Trade

VP of Communications Scott Reifert talks Junior:

I think we helped ourselves with acquiring Griffey in the following ways," he writes:

-Depth
-Options for Ozzie (based on who is hot, who needs a day off, etc)
-Rest (keeping everyone fresh down the stretch)
-Flexibility (both in the field and in the lineup)
-I will be interested in seeing Griffey in center. It seems to me we have some parks where CF is manageable (like ours) and others where there is a lot of space to cover.
-Another school of thought ... that having a chance to play for a postseason slot will re-engergize Griffey.
-It is going to be a fun two months (and hopefully, three).

Let's hope so, Scott. Griffey hasn't exactly been tied to winning lately.

Tommy Lasorda: Manny Being Dodge-y

"We welcome Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers," he writes.

"We are very happy to have him here. He is one the of the top batters in Major League Baseball, and he very well could go down as one of the top 10 batters in the history of the game.

"He is the type of player that gives us the extra power in the lineup that we feel will propel us into the post season.

"We have a tremendous nucleus of players, and with Manny in the middle of our lineup, we feel we will be playing baseball in October."

Tommy being too predict-y?

Janet Culp: Looking For That Inspiration

The Olympic synchronized swimmer on looking to the story of US runner Lopez Lomong for inspiration:

"On days when the pool is really cold, the mornings are really dark, the practice is really long, and it seems like you can do nothing right, one thing that really helps is a little perspective," she writes. "The struggles I've been through seem pretty small in comparison to what this Olympian has overcome. I am both honored and inspired to be representing the same country as this incredible individual."

Kyle Harrison: Showing Us Love

"If you get a chance, pick up the last ESPN the Magazine, there were two articles in there I liked," he writes. "The article on Freddy Adu was a good one and really gives insight to who he really is (kid's been in the spotlight since he was 12). There's another great article on Ryan Sheckler, which gives insight into this cats crazy life (been in the spotlight since he was 6). I enjoyed both articles, definitely helped pass some time on the plane. Grab Time as well and check out the top 100 olympians that will make an impact on August 8th."

Don't forget to peep the new issue, too.

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