Germans to hold oracle octopus competition during Women’s WC

Spain's magnificent run in last summer's men's World Cup was nearly overshadowed by a now deceased octopus named Paul, who successfully "predicted" their win over the Netherlands in the final as well as Germany's seven matches in the tournament. Now, it's the women's turn to share the spotlight with aquarium dwelling cephalopods.

Germany, which was home to Paul and will host the Women's World Cup starting on Sunday, will also be the site of the search for Paul's successor. It will be an "Octopus Idol" or "The O Factor" of sorts, as the country's Sea Life centers try to recreate the worldwide interest (and money) generating delight that was Paul's massive fame that somehow lasted until his death last October at the age of 2 1/2.

Instead of just one octopus choosing which mussel it would like to eat out of two boxes bearing the flags of nations participating in a given match and having the result called a prediction of who will win that match, there will be eight. And those eight octopuses will unknowingly battle to see which of them will become the next Paul as the German women's team attempt to win their third straight World Cup.

From the AFP:

"We are currently conducting different skills-training exercises with the octopuses in the hope that at least one of them can forecast as well as Paul," said Britta Anlauf, spokeswoman for Sea Life Germany.

In order to ensure a level playing field, each of the eight Sea Life centres in Germany, which is host to the June 26-July 17 women's competition, will have exactly the same equipment, which will be delivered this week.

On the day of every Germany match at 11:00 am (0900 GMT), the octopuses will be put through their paces in Berlin, Hanover, Koenigswinter, Konstanz, Munich, Speyer, Timmendorfer Strand and at Paul's old home in Oberhausen.

The format of the competition is being kept secret. And along with the mysterious "skills-training" exercises (which implies there is not only skill involved in this, but skills that require the octopuses to train) Anlauf mentioned, there is certainly as much intrigue to this as a story about football match predicting sea creatures can have.

Some might advise the participating octopuses to just pick Germany every time if they want to be the next to have a shrine built in their honor, but they're octopuses, so that probably wouldn't do much good.

Photo: Getty

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2011 NBA Mock Draft: Full Projections with Trailblazers Taking Jeremy Tyler

2011 NBA Mock Draft: Full Projections with Trailblazers Taking Jeremy Tyler

The Portland Trailblazers need to get LaMarcus Aldridge some help down low. Marcus Camby is very old and Greg Oden is, well, seemingly very old and frail. 

I think the Trailblazers should bring in another 6'11'' with a similar build to Aldridge named Jeremy Tyler. He will probably be more power forward than center, but considering Aldridge at times banged down low as the 5, Tyler will be capable too. 

I think Andre Miller has a few more years in him, so the idea of drafting a point guard is not really necessary. The Trailblazers are fine with depth at guards with Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews. They also have Gerald Wallace, an excellent trade, who gives them someone who can play several positions both offensively and defensively. 

This team challenged the Mavericks in the first round and realistically should be contenders out west. They have a lot of really solid pieces in place and I think the addition of Tyler will help bring their depth in the frontcourt near the level of what they have on the perimeter. 

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The NFL Today: A Shell of Its Former Self?

For as long as I can remember, Sunday has been a day to enjoy NFL football. Being a Pittsburgh Steelers fan all my life, I have grown accustomed to smash-mouth football in all facets of the game.

Aside from that, I usually watch a game before and after the Steelers as well. I thoroughly enjoy the game of football at all levels, but the NFL is the peak of entertainment in my eyes.

Even though I wasn't able to enjoy the 1970s Steelers live, I have watched many of the games. The level of physicality in the past was much higher than today. Because of this, it needed cleaning up a bit, to limit severe injuries and concussions.

In contrast, I never thought it would be allowed to sink so low as to virtually ban defenders from touching the quarterback (QB), as is the case today.

Certain players and teams seem to have added protection in comparison to others. For instance, Tom Brady gets hurt and the NFL changes the rules even more so in favor of the quarterback.

Just three weeks in and I have witnessed several clean hits draw a roughing-the-passer penalty. One such hit involved a linebacker putting his helmet in the lower chest of the quarterback as he took off to run.

The rule as listed by the NFL is as follows; “No defensive player may run into a passer of a legal forward pass after the ball has left his hand (15 yards). The Referee must determine whether the opponent had a reasonable chance to stop his momentum during an attempt to block the pass or tackle the passer while he still had the ball.

No defensive player who has an unrestricted path to the quarterback may hit him flagrantly in the area of the knee(s) or below when approaching in any direction.”

Nowhere in the rule does it state that the aforementioned hit was illegal in any way.

I saw several of these blown calls this past weekend. In some cases, the penalty flag wasn’t thrown until the QB motioned for it. In my opinion, if the defense is restricted anymore than it is now, the NFL might as well eliminate tackling all together.

Commissioner Roger Goodell always states that safety is the No. 1 priority, yet he is close to expanding the NFL regular season from 16 to 18 games. Is the NFL shooting for safety or simply more cash to line their pockets with?

An expanded NFL season would water the game down on its own for several reasons, including an increased likelihood of injury prior to the playoffs and weakening competition.

Teams already rest stars once they clinch a playoff birth—imagine doing so for an additional two games. Fans will stay at home and watch on TV rather than pay to go late in the year. Even if the games matter, costs will increase another two weeks.

If their team is eliminated early in the season, there will be an increased number of local blackouts. These already occur now with poor teams, let alone when a team goes 1-17. Even if a team does make the playoffs, an additional two games increases the likelihood that a star will go down, effectively ruining a team which previously had title implications.

As time goes on, the NFL is getting closer to the WWE than the football played by Jack Lambert and Terry Bradshaw.

Today, most of the tough guys of the NFL past would be suspended and flagged to no end. Art Rooney and Vince Lombardi are probably rolling in their graves due to these stark changes being made.

In my opinion, we need to go back to how things were when rivals hated one another.

Even as recently as 2005, Joey Porter was barking at Ray Lewis as a fight erupted. Today, guys are referred to as Batman and Robin. In the good old days, we had “Mean Joe” Greene and “Iron Head” Heyward.

Now, instead of bloodying quarterbacks, defenders are forced to sit them down gently. If we continue the current trend, one of my favorite sports quotes will become a dark reality. As the legendary commentator Don Meredith once said, “Turn out the lights, the party's over."

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Video update: New Mexico safety politely defies crew’s request to pull up his pants

Last week, I recounted the bizarre travel drama of Deshon Marman, the New Mexico safety who was hauled off a plane the day after his best friend's funeral for refusing to pull up pants resting somewhere "below his buttocks but above the knees" and subsequently arrested for resisting authorities. At the time, I noted that it was quite possibly "the dumbest incident ever recorded on this site." As it turned out, Marman's arrest was also the most-read incident ever recorded on this site, by quite a wide margin. Obviously, the evolving eccentricities of urban fashion remains a permanent cultural flash point, even those that aren't nearly as fashionable as they used to be.

So, as a kind of response to the 60-plus e-mails on the subject I haven't quite had the stomach to open, here's Marman defending himself ? and offering an apology to fellow passengers ? over the weekend on Albuquerque television:

And just to check his work, here's a bit of passenger video of Marman refusing to leave his seat when asked by the crew, an encounter which began contentiously enough to compel a random flier to pop out his camera phone, but hardly escalated into anything resembling an in-cabin riot:

Admittedly, as a piece of "evidence," not much happens there, and certainly nothing that will convince anyone to see anything they weren't already inclined to see when they hit "play." Marman's attorney told the San Francisco Chronicle that "nothing was visible" when his client was seated and "the issue should have been over" after he was allowed to board the plane. (The passenger who shot the video more or less agreed: "When I first saw him coming down the aisle, I was like, 'Come on man, really?' But after he sat down, you couldn't see anything.") Marman also went on local television in Albuquerque to give his defense:

What you don't see on the passenger-shot video, according to a US Airlines spokesman who spoke to the Associated Press is Marman's "repeated refusal to earlier to follow a boarding agent's advise to pull up his pants," or the alleged resistance when he was forcibly removed from the plane that led to additional charges for battery and resisting arrest. "He's refusing to get off," the spokesman said. "The captain's thinking, 'What if he refuses something else in the air?'"

Marman didn't get the chance, because he was tossed in the San Mateo County Jail instead. He was released on $11,000 bond a day later. Prosecutors have until July 18 to decide whether to press charges in this gripping criminal drama.

- - -
Hat tip: Larry Brown Sports.
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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The Eagerness to Create the Next Jordan

By now, this LeBron drama has captured the attention of everybody in the sports world. SportsCenter now continually updates viewers on LeBron's latest tweet, and every consonant uttered from the King's mouth is dissected and elaborated to unfathomable levels. It's quite ridiculous given the fact that he hasn't been able to live up to anybody's expectations and has become sports' number one villain in a matter of seconds.

Did he handle "The Decision" in a professional manner? No.

And why are you talking about Cleveland so much? You could care less, Bron-Bron; let's be real. If you cared half as much as you talk, you would have let them know as soon as you knew you were going to South Beach, they needed to start rebuilding. Instead you left them to drown in Lake Erie for an entire season. I don't fault him for leaving, I fault him for the way he left.

Your celebration in Miami before you hit the practice facility? Really? We understand your approaching uncharted waters with a yacht, but let the win column talk, then your ring. And of course all of your off-court antics are noticeable.

We live in the 21st century bro; everybody has a smart phone and cameras follow you everywhere. Stop playing the victim role, you put it upon yourself to have all the attention you get. And it's not just you, Wade certainly aided you.

The problem with all those accusations is the level we as sports fans, writers and the media put him at was way too high to ever reach. We gave this Akron kid the nickname "The King" before he had ever hit layup lines. The media is so eager to forget the past and crown a superstar before it's been rightfully earned.

A perfect example was this year's postseason. Dirk at the same level or better than Larry Bird? Are you crazy? Why, because they both have white skin? Dirk, who is a proven talent just won his first championship, while Bird has three. And as much as fans hate these comparisons, when you compare the talent Bird played against to the competition Dirk dealt and is dealing with, clearly the French Lick phenom has the edge. I'm not at all taking away what Dirk did this postseason. It was incredible and made the playoffs one of the best in recent time. But the media has to relax.

LeBron is the same case. He is a complete package and I believe the most gifted player of the past decade, but you have to let him prove himself before you put your foot down on making him the next Jordan. Different eras, different competition and Jordan took over both the game and his off-court dealings before Nike went completely mainstream.

I'm still a LeBron fan, but he needs to shut up, for one. Two, he needs to figure out his situation in Miami quickly.

The Finals were not only abysmal for LeBron, but also the Heat. Instead of vacationing or heading off to Paris, the Heat should figure out each others' game. The Finals was a bunch of passing at the top of the key, late into the shot clock, followed by a contested 18-foot fade away jump shot. Really? That got you past Boston and Chicago? They failed to ride on the wave that pushed them through the East and should have looked at tape from late in the regular season.

Maybe they'll learn next season. I can guarantee one thing: there probably won't be a Beatle's concert type of celebration before the regular season (pending we have one).

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Eric Tillman continues his Edmonton housecleaning

Edmonton Eskimos' general manager Eric Tillman really should endorse a line of housecleaning products. In most of his previous CFL jobs, he's made a point of turning over players quickly and bringing in veterans he's worked with before, and that's been the case in Edmonton as well. The first part of that philosophy continued Monday with the release of import defensive end Kenny Pettway and import defensive back Lawrence Gordon, leaving the Eskimos with just six returning starters on defence. Moreover, as The Edmonton Journal's Mario Annicchiarico writes, even those returning players may not all make it through training camp. That doesn't particularly concern new head coach Kavis Reed, though.

"Numbers-wise, we're right in the middle of the number of turnovers around the league," he said. "And for us, we're lucky to have a new system, new coaching staff, bringing guys in who really fit the scheme, A, and B, have a clean slate.

"We're not trying to erase old habits or reprogram them into schemes and conditions they've had. They have a clean slate and we can indoctrinate them faster into the system we want to employ this year."

Reed made it clear that changes were required after a 7-11 season left the Eskimos out of the playoffs.

"The biggest part is we have to be mindful that there are a number of very good coaches not here any more because of last year's record. When we came in as a staff, the first thing that we said was, ‘We're no smarter than they are,' " said Reed.

"If those very good coaches weren't able to extract more wins out of these guys, then we have to be very prudent in our decision-making and see whether or not guys fit into the things we want to accomplish this year, schematically, and also in terms of the culture we want to establish."

"It is incumbent upon us to do our homework on the roster, to make every change we feel necessary to improve this franchise."

From one standpoint, Reed is correct. Change is common in the CFL offseason, and the Eskimos' moves since the Grey Cup haven't been the most numerous in the league. That doesn't take into account that the team's housecleaning started much sooner, though, long before Reed was hired in December. When Tillman (pictured above at his introductory press conference in September) took over midway through the 2010 campaign, the personnel changes began almost immediately. If you compare Edmonton's pre-September 2010 roster to their current one, there's very little continuity.

Of course, that isn't necessarily a bad thing, as many of those changes worked out pretty well. One of Tillman's most notable moves came in just his second day on the job with the signing of Louisiana Tech running back Daniel Porter, who went on to deliver some huge performances for Edmonton down the stretch, picking up 603 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 86 carries, but there were many other personnel shuffles that also made an impact. Moreover, after the Eskimos' awful start saw arguably the lowest moment in team history, there was certainly plenty of incentive to make some changes. The new management and dramatic roster overhaul appeared to spark the team into a solid stretch run, even if it wasn't quite good enough to overcome the early damage to their season; they wound up missing the playoffs in the final week after a loss to Saskatchewan and a B.C. win in Hamilton. Comparing the Eskimos' performances before and after Tillman's sweeping roster overhaul began, it would be hard to argue that his changes weren't required. Many of them followed the principle of mutatis mutandis.

However, unlike another Latin phrase, change for change's sake isn't always a positive. Football is a team game, and a lot of success depends not just on players' individual skill levels, but also on their ability to work with their teammates and execute their roles in a given scheme. It's also worth noting that the CFL in particular tends to favour experienced players over raw athletic prospects, so continuity and chemistry may be more important in this league than in many others. That's not to say that the Eskimos can't develop those qualities with their new roster, or even that their continued roster housecleaning definitely isn't the best idea. It's just worth pointing out that change has its drawbacks as well as its advantages, and that there has to be a point where you stop making wholesale changes and start focusing on developing a coherent squad. Tillman certainly achieved that during his tenure in Regina, where he made plenty of initial roster moves and then built a largely-continuous team that just went to two straight Grey Cup games. We'll see if he's able to repeat that success in Edmonton.

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Sunday Closing Time, Interleague (Father’s Day) edition

What a better way to celebrate Father's Day than to pit two of the most storied franchises in baseball against each other? Cubs, Yankees, Wrigley Field … it's a series that pretty much sells itself.

So come join us for a live chat as we take in a classic of our American pastime on Sunday night. Festivities start at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT.

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Which matchup would make for the best French Open final?

Busted Racquet ranks the potential men's finals at the French Open and predicts Friday's semifinals.

1. Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic

Perfection. Nadal, the five-time champion, against Djokovic, his 44-match win streak and the recent challenge as the best tennis player of the moment. It's almost too good to think about, lest we be disappointed if it doesn't happen.

2. Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer

They've met in the finals three times before and, other than a 35-minute stretch in their 2006 match when Federer won the first set 6-1, there was never the belief that Nadal could lose. From this vantage point, you'd expect the same would hold true in a potential Sunday meeting, except for this caveat: If the rivals are to play in the final, it would mean that Federer beat Djokovic. By that measure, his game would surely be strong enough to top Nadal. Who would win: Nadal.

3. Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray

Murray isn't going to beat Nadal. I know it, you know it, Rafa knows it, Murray knows it. If he didn't have a bum ankle and he hadn't played four of the previous five days and Nadal hadn't played so brilliantly against Robin Soderling and ... no, he's not beating Nadal. Let's say he were to, by virtue of blind luck or a potential case of Nadal food poisoning, win that match and face Djokovic. Could he pull the upset of Djokovic? I realize by saying no I'm contradicting what I wrote about Federer above but, then again, Murray isn't beating Nadal. Who would win: Djokovic

4. Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray

When your least-intriguing matchup involves the all-time leader in Grand Slams and the best player of the last 20 years never to win one, you know it's a legendary slate of semifinalists. Who would win: Federer

Predictions

Nadal over Murray in straight sets

Federer over Djokovic in five sets

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Five reasons boxing can return to the mainstream, and the top reason it may not

The buzz created by CBS' involvement in this week's fight promotion has been tremendous. The lead-up to Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley has gotten network exposure that we haven't seen for a fight since the 80's.

Earlier this week, former HBO chief Seth Abraham, said that a massive pay-per-view number, could create competition for its product, unseen in the history of boxing.

Gautham Nagesh from the Atlantic captured the mood of Pacman-Mosley with this list of five reasons why the sport has a chance to explode in the coming years.

5. Globalization American soccer fans are swearing allegiance to Barca and Man U while Chinese teens endlessly imitate Kobe and DWade on the basketball court. The increasingly cosmopolitan nature of sports is a perfect fit for boxing, which has historically marketed itself in ethnic and nationalistic terms.
4. The Latino Fanbase While the absence of an American heavyweight contender to succeed Tyson has sapped much of the sport's mainstream appeal stateside, Mexico remains a hotbed of the sport and home to some of its most beloved champions. Ditto for Puerto Rico and Cuba, albeit on a smaller scale (of course the latter produces amateur champions who must defect to fight professionally similar to baseball).
3. The Internet At once a blessing and a curse for the traditional media, the Internet is a boon for the fighting world and those that follow it.
2. Good Prospects, Great Fights The most basic element for any sport's revival is a compelling cast of characters and a high level of competition, both of which appear to be coming together in not one but several weight classes at the moment.

Nagesh mentions the 126, 140, 147 and 168 as the weight classes that will carry the sport for the next few years. He goes with a fighter as reason No. 1 the sport could be in for a resurgence.

1. Manny Pacquiao Any talk of boxing's ascent must begin and end with the Pacman, who rose from the slums of General Santos City in the Phillipines to become his country's arguably greatest sporting icon and a political leader at just 32 years of age.

Simply stated, Pacquiao has the crossover appeal in and out of the ring to attract sports fans who bailed on the sport year ago and more importantly non-boxing fans, who are drawn to his existence outside the ring.

Nagesh also listed five reasons the sport could continue to shrink in popularity. Much of the list was the same old tune about the sport, but No. 1 might surprise some.

Nagesh said PPV and cable, promoters, lack of American heavyweights and the sanctioning bodies are part of the sports' downfall. His top reason boxing could remain in a malaise is Floyd Mayweather.

Do you agree? I don't.

Believe what you want about Floyd holding out on a Pacquiao fight, but if the sport is that reliant on one fighter (which it's not) then it has no hope regardless of what "Money" does.

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Cleveland Browns: Has Peyton Hillis Been Snubbed from the NFL Top 100?

The NFL Top 100 has been a hot topic of discussion for football fans all around the country over the past seven weeks.

Peyton Hillis has been a hot topic for Cleveland Browns fans since he was acquired one year ago. Hillis was one of very few stars for the Browns last season and had an impact that was felt throughout the entire organization. The Browns unveiled a completely new offensive element because of Hillis' success, and now seem to have an entirely new offensive mentality heading into the 2011 season.

The NFL Top 100 completed its eighth episode on Sunday night and has listed players 100-21 in dramatic video fashion. Two Cleveland Browns players have made the list of the top 100 players, however, Hillis has not been mentioned or hinted to be on the list throughout the entire process.

Josh Cribbs and Joe Thomas both made appearances at numbers 84 and 43, respectively. While both players obviously deserve the honor, one would have to argue that there may have been better options, even on the Browns' current roster.

According to a report posted on Ohio.com (found here), Hillis did not make the top 100 players despite his 1,177 yard rushing total and his spotlighted performance during the 2010 season. Even more strange is the fact that the Madden 2012 cover athlete will not be highlighted among the top 100 players in the NFL.

The Browns franchise and fan base are certainly proud of Cribbs' and Thomas' accomplishments throughout the 2010 season, but should feel slighted at Hillis' absence from the list. However, fans may also get a slight bit of satisfaction from Hillis' unexpected disappearance, as this could be fuel for another stellar season in 2011-12.

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CFL Camp Countdown: Als' rivalries, records and new faces

Continuing our training camp previews, here are some thoughts on how the Montreal Alouettes are shaping up heading into camp based off Thursday's conference call.

— The story that's gotten the most play about Montreal recently actually wasn't really anything to do with that call, but rather developed out of another interview Alouettes' general manager Jim Popp did Thursday morning on Montreal's Team 990. In that interview, Popp took some rather public shots at former running back Avon Cobourne (who signed with Hamilton in the offseason) and the Tiger-Cats' coaching staff. Among his comments: "The funny thing is, is that the people that are in Hamilton that used to work for our organization, when they were here, they didn't want him playing in the backfield," Popp said. "Hamilton laid the red-carpet out for him. They wanted a name signing. I don't know if that was ... a president simply trying to look good publicly." That would seem to be a particular shot at Tiger-Cats' president Scott Mitchell, who Popp apparently called later to apologize to.

— Cobourne (pictured above stiff-arming former Calgary Stampeder and current Alouette Dwight Anderson Oct. 11 last year) then also went on Team 990 Thursday night and did some firing back, as Mark Masters lays out here. Drew Edwards points out that it's pretty rare for one CFL executive to criticize another so publicly, and this kerfuffle could lead to further heightened tensions in the emerging Hamilton-Montreal rivalry. Maybe Montreal replacing Toronto as Hamilton's Labour Day opponent isn't all bad...

— Moving on to Thursday's call and actual matters of substance impacting the Alouettes' roster, one of the most notable points of discussion was the Alouettes' ground game. Cobourne may be a notable loss for them, but they do have plenty of options to replace him, including former NFL star Ahman Green, former Tiger-Cats' feature back DeAndra Cobb and Canadian free agent Yvenson Bernard (who demonstrated plenty of potential with Winnipeg). However, despite their reputations, none of those guys will enter camp as the starter. Head coach Marc Trestman, for the moment at least, has tabbed Cobourne's seldom-used former backup Brandon Whitaker (20 rushes for 111 yards and 11 catches for 96 yards last season) for that job.

"There's a lot of guys in the mix, we're excited to a have all of them, but Brandon's been there for us when we've needed him," Trestman said. "He's performed at a high level. ... He's shown an ability to protect the quarterback and he's been part of our football team. I told Brandon he's got the job. It's his job to lose, but there certainly will be opportunities within the course of training camp for us to give these (other) guys a chance. But I'm focused on Brandon right now. I'm hoping once we give him the ball that first day of camp that he won't give it up."

— Green is an intriguing addition, though, and one who may still wind up making an impact for the Alouettes if he can survive training camp and get some carries in that crowded backfield. It sometimes takes a few seasons for NFL players to adapt to the differences in the CFL game, but Trestman said Green proved to be a quick study at Montreal's Florida off-season workouts.

"We didn't do running or blocking or anything else, just walking through, but what I can say is he was extremely business-like, very focused, took very detailed notes and was completely into what we were trying to do and teach," Trestman said.

Popp was also optimistic about what Green can potentially bring to the team, and cited his experience as a blocker in the Green Bay Packers' single-back sets as something that might make him more suited to the CFL game than your average NFL running back.

"Ahman has a tremendous amount of experience playing in a one-back set, spread offence like we run," said Popp. "And all the years he blocked for Brett Favre, and how many games in a row did he play? He set a record. It should be quite a battle."

— Running back is one of the only places where the Alouettes will likely look different this year. Heading into camp, they have returning starters at every position except running back, slotback, safety, and kicker. Cobourne left in free agency, while oft-injured safety Mathieu Proul and legendary slotback Ben Cahoon retired and kicker Damon Duval wasn't offered a new contract.

— The Alouettes look to have capable backups at all those slots, though; Etienne Boulay performed well in relief of Proulx down the stretch and in the Grey Cup (even if his media-relations skills need some work), S.J. Green should see more time at slotback opposite Jamel Richardson, with Kerry Watkins and Brian Bratton likely maintaining their roles on the outside. Eric Deslauriers, Danny Desriveaux and Prechae Rodriguez are also in the mix in the receiving corps. At kicker, they just acquired Canadian Sean Whyte from B.C. (with first-round selection Brody McKnight potentially providing competition for Whyte in 2012). Popp said the losses will be felt, but he's happy with how many veterans are still around.

"The majority of free agents re-signed," he said. "If you take the starting 12 on both sides, they're all there except three. Big names, no question."

— That doesn't mean those returning players will all start again, though. One spot to watch will be cornerback, where the Alouettes made one of the off-season's biggest splashes, landing free-agent corner Dwight Anderson from Calgary. Anderson will likely grab one of the starting corner spots from either De'Audra Dix or Mark Estelle (who had his own embarrassing moment against Calgary last season, getting run over by Nik Lewis). Cobourne said in his Team 990 interview that the Alouettes cited Anderson's showboating and trash talk (he was named as the CFL's top trash-talker in a player poll last season) as examples of what not to do, but Trestman said on the call that Anderson's fitting into the Montreal locker room quite nicely thus far.

"We really respect his ability and passion for the game," Trestman said. "He's got a bunch of guys around him who will be very clear to him how he has to handle himself. ... Our locker-room will take care of any issues, or what are perceived to be issues, I don't know if they are. I'm excited to have him on our team."

— One position where there's absolutely zero question about who's starting is quarterback, where Anthony Calvillo's potentially-spectacular comeback from cancer surgery following last year's health scare is moving along just fine. Calvillo's only 4,220 yards behind Damon Allen's pro football passing record, well below the 4,839 he put up last year (and that was after missing a couple of games thanks to injury and sitting out the last regular-season game to prepare for the playoffs). The Alouettes set a couple of notable records last year, with Cahoon collecting the league's reception record and the team becoming the first to win back-to-back Grey Cups since Don Matthews' 1996 and 1997 Toronto Argonauts. If Calvillo has even an average year, they should set another one.

— Records, continuity and the chance to win three straight Grey Cups (something no one's done since the Edmonton Eskimos won five in a row in the late 1970s and early 1980s) are one thing, but Trestman maintains that personnel turnover means each team's different. He said this team isn't out to build on last year's success, but rather to be judged on their own accomplishments.

"The players are going to have to earn it on their own merit," Trestman said. "We're not going to turn the page until the ring ceremony on June 3, because we're going to enjoy that and celebrate. ... But when we get on the bus to training camp, that's over."

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What happened to ‘JuanMa’? Arum says he was distracted

Juan Manuel Lopez showed some major holes in losing to Orlando Salido via eighth round TKO on Saturday night.

For an unbeaten champ, he's always been easy to hit and has even gone down on occasion, but it was shocking to see Orlando Salido find a home for both his overhand right and left hook so often.

Did he unveil "JuanMa" as an overrated fighter with a shaky chin or was Jim Gray onto something? Gray, the Showtime reporter, asked JuanMa about his marital issues before and after the fight. The former unbeaten champ shrugged off his impending split with wife Barbara de Jesus, but his promoter Bob Arum wasn't willing to.

"The distractions did the job. Look at Miguel Cotto, who has never been better since he left to train outside of Puerto Rico. And he doesn't get out of shape between fights," Arum said.

The veteran promoter said Lopez (30-1, 27 KOs) was massive between this fight and his last win in November over Rafael Marquez.

"That's what happened to this guy….he was overweight. He was like 180 or 190 pounds when he was in the Philippines [for Manny Pacquiao's birthday party in December]. And I know that personal problems affected this boy," Arum said. "Boxing is a serious business and you have to be in great physical condition between fights, you have to have the best life between fights, and when you have training camp for a fight, like Cotto, you should leave the island."

The loss could be good news for boxing fans. Before the fight, JuanMa was talking about leaving the 126-pound division. Now he's got too much work to get done before a jump to 130.

He needs to avenge this loss and then make a superfight against Yuriorkis Gamboa. That could turn into a two or three fight series. If he smokes Gamboa, then it's time for Nonito Donaire. Any way you look at it, the top of the featherweight class should give us tremendous fights for the next few years unless promotional chaos screws it up.

Amazingly, even after getting destroyed by Salido, Lopez says he's sticking with the plan to leave the division.

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Dallas Cowboys: Nnamdi Asomugha and 5 Possible Defensive Backfield Additions

Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan was brought in from the Cleveland Browns to fix the Dallas Cowboys defense, one of the most disappointing units in the NFL last season.

The Cowboys offense had the high profile injuries to quarterback Tony Romo and rookie sensation wide receiver Dez Bryant, but it was the defense that really let the team down last year.  

After giving up just 19 touchdowns through the air in 2009-10, the Cowboys gave up 33 passing scores in 2010-11, and the defensive backfield was by far the most disappointing part of the defense as a whole.

Terence Newman got another year older, and it showed in his play. Mike Jenkins regressed, big time. And Orlando Scandrick basically disappeared. It didn't help that those were the only three cornerbacks that the 'Boys had on their opening day roster. 

Starting safeties Gerald Sensabaugh and Alan Ball both struggled with injuries and with their play when they were on the field. Ball, in particular, was quite bad, and he made former Cowboys safety Roy L. Williams look like he was good in coverage.

As both are free agents this offseason, you could see an entirely new safety tandem patrolling the back end for the Cowboys in the 2011-12 season.

Ryan was brought in with a mandate to fix the league's seventh worst pass defense, and his attacking style will help, but he still needs the personnel in place to be able to implement his system. The Cowboys let up the second most points per game in the league last year, and that simply is not acceptable.

Signing any of the following five players would go a long way toward fixing the Cowboys' pass defense, and in turn, leading the team back to the playoffs this season.  

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Joe DiMaggio's Streak, Games 19: Remembering and Restoring Remnants of Glory

Game 19: June 2, 1941

It was back to work for most Cleveland residents. The crowd of 52,240 of the day before shrank to less than 6,000 for the Monday game.

Despite Bob Feller on the mound, that twin bill setback might have hung heavy over the heads of the local fans.

Regardless, those in attendance would see a dandy. Sure, Feller won. He ran his record to 10-2 and pitched a complete game.

But the Yankees, nonetheless, took with them a feeling of accomplishment.

Seven hits—including two Tommy Heinrich homers—and four walks were worked by the Yanks in the 7-5 loss. Rapid Robert fanned “only” six. Joe DiMaggio doubled and singled in four trips, scoring twice.

Looking back at the 1941 season, Frankie Crosetti remembered Cleveland’s old League Park fondly:

“It was one of the places where Joe, and even me, seemed to hit well. Part of that place, I think, is still there. It was one of those great neighborhood parks—like Wrigley and Fenway.”

Crosetti, who talked about the park more than 20 years ago, was correct. In fact, the League Park Society today works to bring the old field back to life.

In 1891, when the Cleveland club was the Spiders of the National League, Cy Young threw the first pitch at the new facility at 66^th Street and Lexington Avenue.

Tris Speaker, Babe Ruth, Feller and DiMaggio were some of the Hall of Famers with a stake in the park’s history.

League Park was home to the Indians through 1946, but the old ball field was never demolished—not completely.

In February of this year, Cleveland city officials approved a plan to restore what stands of the 120-year-old ballpark (a section of the brick facade along the first-base side and the old ticket office behind what was the right field corner).

A Cleveland spokesperson says League Park renovation will be finished next year.

Still used as a playground and recreational ball diamond, League Park promises to bring back hallowed visions of days gone by.

Games in which Babe Ruth hit his 500^th home run or the shadow of Tribe third baseman Ken Keltner making two outstanding plays on July 17, 1941, ending a young Italian legend’s hitting streak at 56.

 

JoeDiMaggio.com is the official and authorized Web site of Joe DiMaggio. During the 70th anniversary of DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, it is publishing “Reliving Joe DiMaggio’s Streak,” which follows the daily progress of Joltin' Joe in 1941. Series Archive

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Speed on the wire: Alcides Escobar on a steals streak

We present the photo above as evidence that Kansas City shortstop Alcides Escobar is not ? repeat: not ? corking his bats.

Additional evidence: He's hit zero home runs this season, and only five in 955 career plate appearances. And he has a lifetime slugging percentage of .323. This is a singles-hitter ... and until recently, he wasn't actually so good at singling.

But the 24-year-old Escobar has been on a hot streak lately, going 16-for-32 over his last nine games, scoring nine runs and swiping five bags. Of course it's unrealistic to think that he can continue at a pace like this; we're talking about a guy with a lifetime .292 OBP. He's had poor luck on balls-in-play, sure, but this is not a player known to hit the ball with much authority. Again: Five career homers. Only 29 career doubles. No pop.

Escobar is a young player with legit speed, though. He also plays a talent-scarce position, and his defense will keep him on the field. (Check the tape). If you're starved for steals in a deep-ish fantasy format, he's in play, just 15 percent owned.

Note: I've rostered him in one of my leagues during this recent binge (added while Hanley was on the DL), but I've been too terrified to use him as an everyday player. Think I've missed all but one stolen base. And I'll probably hold him two months too long.

This post seems less and less like an endorsement with each sentence, so I'd better just end it. Feel free to discuss all the things Escobar can't do in comments...

---

Photo via US Presswire

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Albert Pujols and the Best Player on Each MLB Team

Each MLB team has one player that stands above the rest of the team. Their talent is obvious, as they put up consistently great numbers and are clutch in every sense of the word. They lead their team through bad streaks and good, and win numerous awards. Many of these players may be future Hall of Famers, while many are just producing in the prime of their career, but are soon to disappear later in their careers. With that said, here are the best players on each MLB Team. 

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ESPN already has Rafael Nadal playing in the French Open final

ESPN's ticker, 9:49 p.m. ET, Thursday, 11 hours before Rafael Nadal is set to face Andy Murray in the first French Open semifinal:

I guess you could do worse than predicting Rafa to beat Andy (he's a 1-4 favorite). Or maybe ESPN knows something we don't. Is NBC tape delaying the action more than we ever could have imagined?

And, yes, I am watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee on a Thursday night. Why do you ask?

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US Open Golf 2011 Leaderboard: Webb Simpson Shooting Up Leaderboard in 3rd Round

Webb Simpson is Steadily Moving up the Leaderboard, Shoots -4 on Front Nine in Round 3

This tournament may be over, but Webb Simpson doesn't seem to care. He entered the third round at +4. He just demolished the front nine, bringing him to even.

The course at Congressional presents a much tougher back nine, than front nine. Simpson has fared considerably well on the front nine thus far in every round, but has struggled with the back nine.

Even so, he's improved every single round. He currently stands at 15th, and is 11 strokes behind Rory McIlroy.

READ MORE: 2011 U.S. Open Golf: Five Contenders That Can Catch Rory McIlroy

The field is hoping they have the sort of third round Simpson hopes to complete. A third round like this from Y.E. Yang would make for an interesting storyline. Shaving four strokes off of Yang's score would bring him to -9, which could bring him within striking distance of McIlroy.

Simpson has virtually no chance of competing for a US Open trophy, but it is refreshing to see him competing. Almost as refreshing as the watermelon color scheme he is trying to pull off.

If McIlroy gets complacent, there are plenty of members in the field who could overtake him.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things US Open of Golf related, visit our Golf page for all the latest news

?Kyle Vassalo

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DT Exclusive: A meeting of FIFA’s council of wisdom

Sepp Blatter announced his new corruption fighting panel, dubbed the "council of wisdom," will include the odd mix of football legend Johan Cruyff, 88-year-old former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and 70-year-old opera singer Placido Domingo. The following is a transcript of their first meeting.

Blatter: I want to thank you for convening here, gentlemen. I'm sure your great minds will quickly eradicate all wrongdoing from FIFA. Even though there is no wrongdoing in FIFA. So, I would like you to talk amongst yourselves and share your wisdom. Johan, you begin.

Cruyff: We should require all teams to play like Barcelona. If they don't? We kill them.

Domingo: I once saw Pavarotti eat a live chicken. He said he couldn't wait for it to be cooked.

Kissinger: (sleeps)

Blatter: I appreciate all of these things, gentlemen. But you must focus your great wisdom on the problems facing FIFA. Namely, how can we stop people from accusing FIFA of corruption?

Cruyff: We will shame them and compare them to Jose Mourinho's "anti-football"!

Domingo: I sing.

Kissinger: (sleeps)

Blatter: That's an excellent idea, Johan. But I feel the wisdom still is not flowing through this council with the electricity that I anticipated. Perhaps we should add another member. Someone who is known for solving disputes and having unintentional connections to organized crime...

[Mario Balotelli enters, throws at a dart at an intern]

Blatter: Ah, Mario! Just the man I wanted to see. Please, share your wisdom with the council...of wisdom.

Balotelli: That one guy is asleep. Don't bully people. Here's �1,000.

[Balotelli slaps Domingo in the face with a stack of cash, speeds off in his Maserati]

Blatter: Well. That accomplished all I hoped and more. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to stare at the presidential ballot and laugh.

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Why you shouldn’t doubt Serena Williams’ chances at Wimbledon

A sampling of opinions about Serena Williams' comeback from injury:

? "I feel I have nothing to lose. There is only one way I can move and that's up." -- Serena Williams

? "Williams used to have control over wins and losses, but not these days. She might well win two or even three more rounds this tournament, considering her draw. If she somehow does win the title - with the aid of, say, a fast-spreading and debilitating disease in the women's locker room - it would be an indictment of the rest of the draw, not a credit to Williams. Nothing can change the fact that she remains less than half the player she once was back when she could scramble, charge the net, and hit fabulous winners from a full stretch. No one played quite like her before, and no one has since, but she doesn't want to be that player anymore."�-- Tom Perrotta, New York Sun

? "I'm definitely looking at working my way back more than anything. I think about the opportunity that I have." -- Williams

? ''She's rusty.'' -- Serena's mother, Oracene Price

? "It's a far cry from the days when the sisters dominated the game." -- London's Independent

? "It was very difficult, to say the least. Some days you can get upset and be very discouraged. At this point, I was just excited to be able to make it all the way here after such a strenuous off-season mentally." --�Williams

? "I don't think she can come and go with this. If she's carrying too much weight, it will inevitably count against her in the end." -- Nick Bollettieri

? "My fitness is fine, I can definitely win. [...] My mom and my dad always taught me to think positive. For me to sit here and say no now, I just can't do that." -- Serena Williams

All these quotes are from January 2007, when Serena, ranked No. 81 in the world, came to the Australian Open rusty, struggling and overweight. She went on to win her third title in Melbourne, dismantling top seed Maria Sharapova in the final.

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Retired Ronaldo ‘trains’ with Brazil team ahead of his final match

Retired Ronaldo will play one last match for the Brazilian national team when they take on Romania in Sao Paulo on Tuesday. In addition to playing, he will also be honored at halftime for the magnificent career he chose to end back in February. And as he trains for his send-off with his teammates, you can almost hear him think about how much he doesn't miss these sessions.

Photo: Getty

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Video: Sharapova’s serve that barely hit the bottom of the net

How bad was Maria Sharapova's serve during her semifinal loss to Li Na at the French Open? Somehow, she managed to hit one that made her abysmal serve last week seem downright Sampras-ian.

Sharapova actually had a higher first serve percentage than Li Na in the match (67 percent to 66 percent). It was the second serve that caused the problems. The Russian hit 10 of 21 of those serves out. That'll get you every time.

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Mattek-Sands is seeded at Wimbledon and dressed like Lady Gaga

Not only is American tennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands ahead of Venus Williams in the WTA rankings, she's also managed to surpass the elder Williams sister in terms of outrageous outfits. The 31st-ranked Mattek-Sands turned heads at Thursday night's Wimbledon player's party in a dress designed by Lady Gaga's designer, Alex Noble.

The neon yellow dress featured a corset with attached tennis balls, a flowing skirt and a headdress that wouldn't have been out of place at the royal wedding.

The 26-year-old was still in Eastbourne on Thursday playing in the doubles competition of the Wimbledon tuneup and had to take a helicopter to London to attend the party. An hour after landing, following a quick fitting and sit-down in the makeup chair, Mattek-Sands walked the red carpet in the inspired frock.

Mattek-Sands met with Noble twice in Madrid, once to discuss the concept for the dress and another for a fitting. "I had a blast working with him," she said. "It's the funky dress I wanted."

The hat was one of her favorite flourishes. "When you're in England you have to have some cool headwear," she said. (Princess Beatrice: "Yup.")

Mattek-Sands is seeded No. 30 at the tournament, the first time she's ever been seeded there. She said she's confident entering Wimbledon despite the fact that she hasn't had a lot of practice on grass this year.

Her outfit on the courts of the All England Club won't be as wild as it was at the player's party or in other matches thanks to Wimbledon's "almost entirely white" clothing rule (the eye black and jail stripes will be a no-no). That's not to say she doesn't have something up her sleeve, though.

"Noble designed something for me to walk out onto the court with," Mattek-Sands said.

If it's not an egg, consider me disappointed.

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Raiders’ Routt has no fear of constant man coverage

�

Recently, we revealed the folly of underestimating Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, still one of the best in the league. But if the Raiders are more comfortable letting Asomugha go in free agency (whenever that begins), it's because Stanford Routt, the second-round pick out of Houston in 2005, finally grew into his position as a starting cornerback and put up some of the best numbers in the league.

According to STATS, Inc., Routt (who was one of the league's most-targeted cornerbacks, as enemy quarterbacks were desperate to throw away from Asomugha) put up some of the NFL's best numbers in 2010: a 42 percent catch rate allowed, which was better than any qualifying cornerback in the league not named Darrelle Revis. Routt also placed among the league leaders in yards per attempt and completion percentage allowed. He gave up just four touchdown passes in 2010, which amounted to�just under�5 percent of all passes thrown his way.

Routt recently went on SIRIUS NFL Radio to talk about the man-heavy scheme the Raiders are well-known for playing. Oakland ran a lot of single-high safety looks in 2010, with Michael Huff up top and Routt and Asomugha as the cornerback combo for the most part. With so much man coverage, even if a nickel back is involved, those "islands" you keep hearing about can be a problem if you're not used to it and on top of your game.

"Basically, you just hit it on the head. We basically play man every damn down," Routt told hosts Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwan. "If we play 60 snaps on defense, at least 56 of those are going to be man coverage. Everyone in the league knows what our game plan is," he said. "It's hard as hell to do that."

But in another recent interview, Routt clarified his comments. "We're a solid team and we live by 'no excuses'. No matter the situation, we always find a way to make it happen," he told Steve Wyremski�of Pro Football Focus.�"The scheme isn't going to change and most of the time the play calling isn't going to change, so it's all on you. There's no long distance on the island. You can't call for help."

And that makes sense if further comments are taken in context ? in that SIRIUS interview, Routt (who's apparently been slammed a bit for his take on�Oakland's scheme) talks about the advantages and what he likes about it. "For the most part, they want us to be in the receiver's face and disrupt them off the ball," Routt said. "It's just the way we do things. We believe in cutting down all the air. From playing tight coverage and seeing up close, the quarterback is going to have to be pinpoint accurate."

We've had Routt on Shutdown Corner before in podcast form, and we hope to have him on in the near future to talk about these comments and a host of other things.

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UFC 137 Preview: 5 Reasons Georges St-Pierre Will Beat Nick Diaz and Move to MW

A fight that many fans have asked for will happen at UFC 137.

UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre will meet Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz in one of the biggest matches of the year.

St-Pierre, 22-2, is currently on a nine-fight winning streak while Diaz is riding a 10-fight win streak.

Despite Diaz being a tough fighter, many predict he will become another victim of St-Pierre. Some may also believe St-Pierre could move to middleweight . Here are some reasons why they may be right.

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Ultimate Warrior's Karma Collects Videos

We all know the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan have had an ongoing, back and forth, tit for tat arguments via Twitter in the past few weeks.  Today the Ultimate Warrior uploaded nine videos pertaining to Hulk Hogan after Hogan offered a truce between the two earlier this week.

Warrior has "the bullet to kill Hulkamania", will he use it ? We'll find out.

Here's the videos Ultimate Warrior posted earlier today.

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The identity of Vancouver’s famous kissing couple is revealed

In the age of Facebook and Twitter, it was only a matter of time before the world learned the identities of the kissing couple from that now-iconic photo of the Vancouver riots.

About 24 hours after photos of the smooch was passed on through emails, IMs and blog posts,�the Toronto Star and the�CBC are reporting that the boyfriend and girlfriend in the photograph are Aussie bartender Scott Jones and Canadian college student Alex Thomas, who was injured just before the picture was taken.

The papers report that Jones and Thomas have been dating since Jones arrived in Vancouver on a "working holiday." They attended Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, which the hometown Canucks lost 4-0 to the Boston Bruins, and then somehow found themselves between the angry rioters and charging riot police later that night in downtown Vancouver.

The famous aftermath, as captured by Getty Images photographer Rich Lam:

So how were Jones and Thomas ultimately identified as the unlikely "make love, not war" couple of Vancouver's embarrassing night of injury and destruction?

It probably won't surprise you to learn that Facebook was involved.

Though Scott's sister Hannah first identified her brother to an Australian news network, things really started taking off when �Brett Jones, Scott's father, posted the following update on his Facebook profile on Friday morning from the family's home in Perth, Australia.

(Note the funny response from Scott's brother, Ryan.)

Brett Jones now says the couple is being besieged by media requests from outlets around the world. All, of course, are interested in knowing the circumstances that found the couple smooching as cars were burned and windows were smashed around them.

But despite some of our initial assumptions, the kiss seen 'round the world wasn't the product of a riot-fueled, uncontrollable passion. Brett Jones instead notes that Thomas was injured and his son was coming to her aid. An alternate angle taken from above shows other bystanders later attempting to help Thomas and Jones.

Combine that different angle with Brett Jones' story and it certainly�dispels�the rumors that the couple had intentionally staged the photo.

"They were between the riot police and the rioters, and the riot police were actually charging forward, and Alex got knocked by a [police] shield and fell to the ground," Brett Jones told CBC News. "[Scott] was comforting her and gave her a kiss to say, 'It's going to be OK,' and the photographer just took the shot at that moment."

Jones' mother Marie said she immediately knew it was her son in the picture because "he doesn't have a lot of clothes with him and he always puts on the same thing."

So where do they go from here? The good news is that Jones escaped the incident unhurt and Thomas only suffered a bruised leg. The bad news is that Jones is scheduled to leave Canada soon and head home for Australia after a trip to California. The Jones family says that Thomas plans to visit California with their son but that the couple's future after that is uncertain.

UPDATE: Jones and Thomas spoke with the Toronto Star:

Thomas said this morning that everything happened so fast that there was just massive confusion all around. "I was trying to understand what was going on. The photo was definitely not something we expected to happen," said Thomas.

The couple is leaving in three days on a trip to California, before Scott heads back to Australia. Thomas said the response from her friends and family has been overwhelming.

"When I saw that picture I couldn't believe it and then I looked at it more and realize it's quite artistic and really something beautiful."

The full Toronto Star story is here.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Why fans rioted after Canucks' Game 7 loss |Photos
? The top earners in athlete endorsements
? David Tyree: Same-sex unions will lead to 'anarchy'

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Norm MacDonald not so sure about his 25k bet on ‘Pacman’

Norm MacDonald is a huge sports fan and he likes to gamble. That's a perfect combination on a big fight weekend.

The host of "Norm MacDonald's Sports Show" on Comedy Central plunked down 25 large on Manny Pacquiao is his fight against "Sugar" Shane Mosley.

He visited Pacquiao to get a little confidence boost. Let's just say Pacman's new diet shook MacDonald a bit.

You can watch the Pacquiao-Mosley pay-per-view right here on Yahoo! Sports.

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US Open Golf 2011: Will Rory McIlroy's Performance Bring Bigger Weekend Ratings?

What Will Weekend Golf Ratings be for 2011 US Open? 

When the news broke that Tiger Woods would not be playing in the 2011 US Open at Congressional many in the golf world feared ratings would suffer. 

When Tiger doesn't play golf loses several fans. The fact that it's Father's Day weekend meant ratings might be low (unless all fathers just want to watch golf), plus the sports biggest name wouldn't be competing meant not many cared to watch. 

However, after a record performance from young Rory McIlroy the weekend ratings may just climb.The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland became the quickest ever to reach 10 under at any US Open. He finished the day at 11 under par. 

MUST READ: 2011 US Open Golf: The 25 Greatest Single Round Performances Ever

After the stellar two day performance by McIlroy many are going to want to see how he finishes. Yes, even the causal golf fan will tune in to see how McIlroy is doing. The causal fan usually watches only the Major tournaments or whenever Tiger is playing. 

Because Tiger is out they probably didn't care a great deal to watch the 2011 US Open. Now that Rory is way out in front they will watch to see if he chokes like he did in at Augusta National. The Tiger Woods fans always watch the Masters, and they definitely remember the epic collapse from McIlroy. 

The ratings won't be as big as they could have been because Tiger isn't playing. That is no secret. People love tuning in to watch Tiger play golf. However, because McIlroy is dominating the field he may bring in a few more viewers. 

Will anybody catch McIlroy? You'll have to tune in to find out. If somebody does it will certainly make for great television. 

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things US Open of Golf related, including TV Schedule Info and the latest Score and Leaderboard updates.

-Eric Bowman

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DTotD: Referee takes a clearance to the face

During Lanus' 2-1 win over Independiente on Monday the referee took an attempt at clearing the ball from Cristian Baez square in the face. Needless to say, this was not an enjoyable experience for him. Dazed, swollen and bleeding from the nose, the ref was able to continue and even handed out six yellow cards after getting his face rearranged. I'm guessing he was in a bad mood after that.

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Video: Sharapova’s serve that barely hit the bottom of the net

How bad was Maria Sharapova's serve during her semifinal loss to Li Na at the French Open? Somehow, she managed to hit one that made her abysmal serve last week seem downright Sampras-ian.

Sharapova actually had a higher first serve percentage than Li Na in the match (67 percent to 66 percent). It was the second serve that caused the problems. The Russian hit 10 of 21 of those serves out. That'll get you every time.

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