Mammoth Blog

Summer's almost over but that doesn't mean Live Nation is dropping its No Service Fees Wednesday promotion. This week it's $10 all-in lawn tickets and $15 reserved seats.

As with past No Service Fees promotions, this special offer runs from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, August 26 through midnight for Live Nation amphitheatres across the country.

Of course, there are a few restrictions. According to Live Nation's announcement, this week's special is "subject to availability at participating venues and select shows. Includes print at home and US mail delivery, parking where applicable. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount."

But regardless of the accompanying legalese, you gotta admit $10 for lawn and $15 for reserved is a helluva deal. Just click here for more information from the Live Nation Web site. source>>>

San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who has thrown for more than 10,000 yards in the past three seasons, has agreed to a new contract extension with the club.

The extension is for six years and is worth $92 million, a source told ESPN.com. About $38 million to $39 million is guaranteed. More importantly, the deal will keep Rivers off the free-agent market next spring, and will preclude the Chargers from having to exercise a franchise designation to retain him.

The agreement comes amid reports that the Chargers would have a difficult time reaching an extension accord with Rivers, a first-round choice in the 2004 draft.

But the negotiating climate turned during the weekend, and keeping Rivers for the long term is a coup for general manager A.J. Smith, who has done an exemplary job in keeping the nucleus of his roster intact with contract extensions.

Rivers Flows In Fourth

San Diego's Philip Rivers was the second-best quarterback in the fourth quarter last season (minimum 80 attempts).
Passer Cmp pct TD-Int Rating
Tony Romo, Cowboys 63.3 9-1 114.7
Philip Rivers, Chargers 63.8 12-2 111.7
Trent Edwards, Bills 66.0 6-2 106.3
Shaun Hill, 49ers 65.1 7-2 101.3
Jake Delhomme, Panthers 66.3 3-1 97.8

-- ESPN Stats and Information

Rivers said he was "thankful to have many more opportunities to suit up and go out there and be the quarterback for the Chargers and short-term, to be able to just do all I can to lead us to a championship."

It is not yet known what altered the tenor of the contract discussions, but it's believed that Rivers became personally involved in the talks.

"This is a great day for the Chargers and Chargers fans," team president Dean Spanos said. "Philip has proven he has all of the necessary qualities to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. He's a proven winner and an unquestioned leader for this football team."

Without the deal, Rivers would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring, regardless of whether the league and players' union had an extension of the collective bargaining agreement.

San Diego almost certainly would have retained Rivers by naming him a franchise player, but at a cost believed to be about $16 million for a one-year tender.

Rivers, 27, was entering the final year of the six-year, $40.5 million rookie contract he signed in 2004 after a lengthy and sometimes acrimonious negotiation.

After sitting behind Drew Brees his first two seasons in the NFL, Rivers became the San Diego starter in 2006, when Brees departed for New Orleans as a free agent.

Rivers has started all 16 games in each of the past three seasons, and the former North Carolina State star is coming off a career year in which he led the league in passer rating (105.5) and touchdown passes (34), and was fourth in the NFL in passing yardage (4,009 yards). He completed 312 of 478 attempts last season, with only 11 interceptions.

AFC West blog

Williamson ESPN.com's Bill Williamson writes about all things AFC West in his division blog.

- Blog network: NFL Nation

In his career, Rivers has completed 890 of 1,428 passes for 10,697 yards, with 78 touchdown passes, 36 interceptions, and a passer rating of 92.9. Most of that production has come in the past three seasons, with Rivers seeing only limited action in 2004 and 2005.

Rivers was the fourth overall choice in the 2004 draft, selected by the New York Giants. Within an hour of that choice, however, he was traded to San Diego for quarterback Eli Manning, the first pick in that year's lottery. Manning recently signed a six-year, $97.5 million extension to his deal.

An extremely accurate passer despite a somewhat unconventional delivery, Rivers has emerged as a leader for the Chargers, whom many believe possess the most talented roster in the league.

"I don't think there can be any more pressure added, commitment added, determination from my side or from anybody in that locker room to want to go win a championship," Rivers said. "There's no outside or monetary driving force that can make me want to win any worse than I do. I've always hated losing and don't know if I can hate it any more, so there's really nothing that can give me any extra drive."

He has solidified his standing with his teammates because of his toughness and ability to play through pain.

Two years ago, Rivers played in the AFC Championship Game at New England despite a knee injury that kept him out of practice for much of the pregame preparations.

It was subsequently revealed that Rivers played with a damaged anterior cruciate ligament that later required surgery.

"He's a good dude, man, and I'm happy for him and I'm happy that he's here long-term," said tight end Antonio Gates, whose locker is next to Rivers'.

Gates said the Chargers had fun kidding Rivers at practice about his big deal, but knows the money won't change him.

"At the end of the day I know what it means for him to go out here and play football and know the passion he has for us to win," Gates said. "I think that's the biggest thing about him. The thing I'm going to remember when I'm done playing ain't going to be the big contracts, it ain't going to be the money, it ain't going to be the cars. It's going to be the person I had the chance to sit next to." source>>>

Since April, nearly $3.5 billion in new stadiums have opened in New York and Texas.
Skip to next paragraph
Multimedia
Hanging Too Low?Graphic
Hanging Too Low?
Wow Factor at the Cowboys' New HomeSlide Show
Wow Factor at the Cowboys' New Home
Related
Fast Forward: At Cowboys Stadium, a New Kind of Interference (August 25, 2009)

The Giants and Jets prepare for the 2009 N.F.L. season. Discuss all the preseason news and training camp developments on the Times's pro football blog.
Go to The Fifth Down Blog »
N.F.L.

* Live Scoreboard
* Standings
* Stats | Injuries

Giants

* Schedule/Results
* Stats | Roster
* Depth Chart

Jets

* Schedule/Results
* Stats | Roster
* Depth Chart

Enlarge This Image
Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News

Tennessee punter A. J. Trapasso signaled after hitting a screen. More Photos »

For that money, you'd think they'd be perfect expressions of modern sports architecture.

But no. At Yankee Stadium, 1,048 seat dwellers in two outfield sections can't see into the outfield opposite their perches because of a protruding structure between them that accommodates the bleacher cafe and the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar.

Over at Citi Field, fans in some far-off outfield sections also have diminished views.

At Cowboys Stadium, the twin video boards that measure 72 feet high and 160 feet long, and nearly stretch from one 20-yard line to the other, hang too low.

In the stadium's first game, the high-definition boards proved to be an obstruction -- to the ball.

On Friday night during the third quarter of the Tennessee-Dallas preseason game, the Titans punter A. J. Trapasso doinked the bottom of a screen, 90 feet above the playing surface.

Trapasso exposed a flaw in the Cowboys owner Jerry Jones's concept of a football game as a live experience and a giant living-room set that can fit as many as 100,000 viewers.

"So it's like a do-over," Fox's Joe Buck said during the broadcast. "Like you're playing flag football or in your backyard. I'm sure those are words that Jerry Jones didn't want to hear tonight, that the ball hit the scoreboard."

Jones adores his screens. During a stadium tour last month, he told me that he views his Mitsubishi screens as the perfect incarnation of modern video technology ("They've got 30 million pixels"), the ideal marriage of football and television and a personal expression of his imprint on the stadium design ("The size I decided, literally figured with little models, saying this looks too dinky, that looks too much").

Now the N.F.L. is assessing how to prevent future screen-doinking. Jones's screens meet league rules -- they hang five feet higher than required -- but the league has never dealt with video boards of such size.

Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision built them "to the specificiations of the Cowboys and the N.F.L.," it said in a statement Monday. "The structure was in place and the height determined before our boards went in."

The league does not typically study stadium designs in advance but expects its teams to meet certain specifications. If problems arise, "we work with the club to resolve them," said Greg Aiello, an N.F.L. spokesman.

If only Jones had asked Ray Guy, the former Oakland Raiders punter, to vet the screens' altitude.

At the Superdome in New Orleans during the 1976 Pro Bowl, Guy hit a television screen in a gondola about 95 to 100 feet high, mainly to prove that he could. If the game meant anything, he wouldn't have, he said.

"I was on the 2-yard line, 15 yards behind the center," Guy said Monday by telephone. "I looked up and Jim Tunney, the referee, who was a friend, said, 'You're going to try it,' and I said, 'Yeah.' " And he did. Doink!

He said it would have carried over the screen if he'd kicked it from a slightly different angle. "It caught the screen going up," he said. It was ruled a do-over. He recalled that his next kick traveled 65 yards.

Four years later, as Oakland prepared to play Philadelphia in Super Bowl XV at the Superdome, Guy wanted to prove that the screen, still hanging from the gondola, was hanging too low for his powerful right foot.

"I hit it four times in practice because I was trying to make them raise it up," said Guy, who was known for his high kicks and long hang time. By game time, the screen was much higher, out of footshot.

If Jones asked him what to do with his 600 tons of video screens, Guy said he would say, "Raise them up because if you hit 'em, it can be a real turning point in a crucial game."

If the Yankees (who also have Mitsubishi screens, in the outfield) and the Mets had asked their fans to vet the designs that have limited some views, they might have curbed the ire about spending so much for new ballparks equipped with obstructions.

The Yankees were out to monetize the bleacher space that serves as the batter's eye even if it meant that making some parts of the field off-limits to fans' eyes. Mohegan Sun, which bought the naming rights to the sports bar, was not aware of the fan-unfriendly design.

The Mets were determined to create intimacy in their small, retro ballpark and knew that the design would sacrifice a complete view of the field for some of their fans.

Both ballparks were designed by different architects at Populous, the architectural firm formerly known as HOK Sport.

"The designers for these ballparks are all highly experienced," said Barry LePatner, whose law firm, LePatner & Associates, is construction counsel to corporations, institutions and developers.

"They all know about physics and sight lines. The designs today preclude the need for obstructed views."

But if it's what the client wants, the architect will design it. source>>>

A woman whom Eagles quarterback Mike Vick claimed had mishandled his money has been charged by federal authorities with scamming eight NFL players.

Per the Associated Press, Mary Wong allegedly swindled the players to the tune of $8 million.

She allegedly sold phony investments in "luxury properties in Arizona, Tennessee and Michigan along with private jets and other investments." Money from new investors allegedly was used to pay off old investors, making the thing a Bernie Madoff-style Ponzi scheme.

Wong allegedly used the money she raised to finance a lavish lifestyle.

Vick sued in January the firm of Williams and Bullocks, owned by NFL players Demorrio Williams, Daniel Bullocks, and Josh Bullocks -- and run by Mary Wong. Vick allegedly turned to Wong for help as he was trying to raise $1 million that the federal government was seeking for the care and feeding of the dogs rescued from his rural Virginia property.

The criminal indictment against Wong identifies her victims only by their initial source>>>>

Paula Abdul may have pulled a diva move in her negotiations with "American Idol."

Now she's followed her Twitter revelation that she will not be back on "Idol" with yet another announcement.

She tweets that she's been pegged to host the VH1 Divas concert, which returns Sept. 17 with a new batch of diva-licious female stars after a four-year hiatus from the small screen.

This year's diva crop includes Adele, "Idol" alum Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis and "Idol" winner Jordin Sparks.

Gosh, surrounded by all those ex-Idols, Paula is bound to feel right at home.

What do you think? Is Paula being a diva?

Or is that Hollywood's derogatory term for a female star who wants equal pay for equal work? source>>>

On Saturday, September 26 in Vienna, Austria, a global concert will be held in tribute to Michael Jackson. "The Tribute In Memory of Michael Jackson" is being presented by Jermaine Jackson and World Awards Media. It is rumored that stars like Madonna, U2, Lionel Richie and Whitney Houston will perform, however, the performance lineup will not be announced until September.
Jermaine Jackson plans to have a tribute to his younger brother every year, and chose to have the first concert in Vienna at the 17th century Schönbrunn Palace because Michael "loved castles." Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson, released a statement in support of the show saying: "An event of this dimension not only keeps Michael's spirit alive, more than that -- it gives millions of fans the opportunity to experience his music and celebrate the life of my son."

The concert will be televised around the world by CNN and 85,000 will be able to attend in person. Tickets have already gone on sale on the concert's official website and range from 55 euros for standing room to 490 euros for prime seats. Tickets will go on sale in stages to avoid ticket scalping.

A special emphasis at the concert will be placed on Michael Jackson's humanitarian efforts. The concert will celebrate Jackson's good works with his Heal the World Foundation which he founded in 1992 and the many other causes he donated large sums of money to. source>>>

Leaving young infants in car seats for extended periods of time may result in low oxygen levels and put them at risk for breathing problems, according to a new study.

Researchers say car seats are essential for the safe transportation of infants. But leaving an infant in an upright position for a long period of time can partially compress the chest wall, affecting airway size.

The study found that healthy 2-day-old infants placed in car seats for 60 minutes had lower average blood oxygen levels than those lying on their backs in hospital cribs.

"The use of these devices should, therefore, be restricted to protection from injury and death in traffic accidents, and they should never serve as a replacement for a crib," write researcher Lilijana Kornhauser Cerar, MD, of University Medical Centre in Ljubjana, Slovenia, and colleagues.
Infant Car Seats Affect Oxygen Levels

In the study, published in Pediatrics, researchers measured oxygen levels in 200 healthy 2-day-old infants when placed in a hospital crib for 30 minutes and in an infant car seat and infant car bed for 60 minutes.

The results showed the average oxygen saturation level of the infants in the cribs was 97.9% compared with 96.3% in the car bed and 95.7% in the infant car seat. The average minimum oxygen saturation level was also lower in the car seat (83.6%) compared to the crib (87.4%).

In addition, the average total time the infants spent with an oxygen saturation level lower than 95% was much higher when in the car seat (23.9%) compared to the crib (6.5%).

A second study in which healthy infants were placed in each device for two hours produced similar results. Researchers say the findings confirm previous studies in premature infants and show the breathing of full-term healthy infants is also affected by car seats. source>>>

If you could create the ideal community to raise a child in, what ingredients would you include? First off, you'd probably want a low crime rate. A strong school system would also be key. From there, you'd need lots of other children, expansive green spaces to play in, and plenty of nearby family events. Toss in an abundance of artistic and recreational activities, and all of a sudden you've got one heck of a place to grow up. At U.S. News, we wanted to find out if any communities like that already existed-and if so, where they were located. So we dug into our database of 2,000 different places all across the country and pinpointed the locales that met these criteria. We then examined these communities more closely to determine which places offered the best combination of safe neighborhoods, fun activities, and top-notch educators. Our selections appear below, in our list of America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up:

Virginia Beach, Va.: Junior adventurers will love Virginia Beach, Va. This community of 434,000 residents in the southeastern part of the state has a low crime rate, a solid school system, and 35 miles of majestic beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. "It's kind of neat to be able to come home from work, make a call to my wife or son, grab a bucket of chicken or some sandwiches, and then go out on the bay and have dinner," says Greg Ward, who works for a marketing firm that represents the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Children can explore an impressive ecosystem of threatened and endangered species-including bald eagles and loggerhead sea turtles-in the 9,000-acre Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The warm summers and mild winters provide plenty of opportunities to hike, bike, and picnic your way through the 19 miles of scenic trails over at First Landing State Park. And after checking out the sand tiger sharks and the cow-nose rays at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, children can catch an educational picture in its 3-D IMAX theater.

[Slide Show: America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up.]

And in early September, the community is launching an online resource-VBparents.com-designed to keep parents plugged in to local health and school news, while ensuring that they are up-to-date on all of the community activities available to their kids. "There are lots of great parenting resources out there. This one is going to be specific to raising your child and your family within the city of Virginia Beach," says Jenefer Snyder, city of Virginia Beach GrowSmart coordinator. "We are constantly going to be connecting it back to community services, activities, events, programs, and classes."

Madison, Ala.: Of the roughly 43,000 residents in the friendly, churchgoing town of Madison, Ala., about 12,000 are under 18 years old. And this bedroom community of Huntsville, Ala., offers no shortage of outlets to keep these young folks active. "There is an event almost every weekend-whether it is in Madison, Huntsville, or Madison County-that families can attend," says Paul Finley, the mayor of Madison. Children can take advantage of the area's expansive outdoor amenities: watching beavers plunge into Bradford Creek or rabbits dart through the 130-acre Rainbow Mountain Trails park. And if they behave well enough, perhaps some lucky children can even persuade their mom and dad to send them to Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in nearby Huntsville.

San Jose, Calif.: With 9 square miles of green spaces, 300 days of sunshine a year, and four different professional sports franchises to follow, San Jose, Calif., has everything you need for a happy childhood. At just over 1 million residents, San Jose considers itself the capital of Silicon Valley, but it doesn't take a computer scientist to understand the city's appeal to kids. San Jose is the country's safest big city, and although it's certainly expensive-the median home price is $449,000-the city offers all sorts of great activities for children. Rather than chasing its skateboarders away, San Jose has embraced them by opening six public skateboarding parks, including Lake Cunningham Regional Skate Park, the largest one in the state. And at the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, children can experience everything from theater to gardening.

Overland Park, Kan.: Just 12 miles outside of Kansas City, Mo., is the lovely community of Overland Park, Kan. This family-friendly suburb in America's heartland has a four-season climate and is opening a 12-field, artificially turfed, fully lit soccer complex in the late summer. "Soccer is a big sport in this community," says Mayor Carl Gerlach. Meanwhile, at the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead, kids can visit nearly 200 farm animals, toss a bobber into a fishing pond, or take a ride in a horse-drawn wagon. The 17-mile-long Indian Creek Trail makes for a great bike ride. At the same time, sports fans are only a short car ride away from a Kansas City Chiefs football game or a Kansas City Royals baseball game. In addition, "we have three different school districts in Overland Park," Gerlach says. "All three have been nationally ranked and won awards."

Boston: With an exciting history and a boatload of activities, Boston is a great option for parents looking to raise children in a big city. Kids will marvel at the African penguins in the New England Aquarium, gawk at the humpback whales on a whale-watching tour, and erupt as the Red Sox take the field at beautiful Fenway Park. At the same time, Boston is one of the safest large cities in the country.

Denver: Whether they prefer snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains, biking through America's largest city park system, or heading over to Invesco Field at Mile High for a Broncos football game, Denver is a wonderful place to be a kid. Also among the country's safest big cities, Denver has 300 days of annual sunshine, eight different professional sports franchises, and countless opportunities for fishing, white-water rafting, and horseback riding.

Rochester, Minn.: With about 100,000 residents, the safe, friendly city of Rochester, Minn., has enough activities to tire out even the most energetic youngsters: 85 miles of trails for in-line skating, 3,200 acres of public parks for touch football, and 56 different playgrounds. "It's a huge sports town," says Brad Jones, executive director of the Rochester Convention and Visitors Bureau. Fortunately, the area's big sport-hockey-is well-suited for Rochester's chilly winters. "We [also] have two hockey complexes, one with four rinks under one roof and the other with two," Jones says. "We have the National Volleyball Center located here, and it's always hopping with volleyball tournaments and trainings."

Cedar Rapids, Iowa: It would be tough to find a safer community than Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where the crime index is about a fifth of the national average. And with a solid school system, plenty of fun activities, and affordable housing costs, this eastern Iowa city can keep your kids happy without emptying your wallet. Tim Boyle, the executive director of the Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the city's manageable size-it has just 123,000 residents-allows its young people to get involved in a variety of different activities. "The thing that I like about Cedar Rapids is you could end up with a junior or senior in high school who is an offensive tackle on the football team and has the lead in the spring musical," Boyle says. In addition to a strong music program in its public schools, the area has more than 50 public tennis courts, more than 75 parks, 23 sand volleyball courts, and even a BMX dirt track. During the winters, which can get extremely cold, children can remain active on three indoor soccer fields and five ice-skating rinks.

Plano, Texas: With 7,000 faculty and staff members serving 55,000 students in this Texas community, the Plano Independent School District has achieved national recognition for its strength. The Department of Education has handed 24 of its schools National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence awards, and 99 of its seniors were named semifinalists in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program. "We have a wonderful park system here in our community that has always been very much focused on youth sports, whether it is soccer or baseball or basketball," says Mayor Phil Dyer. Meanwhile, the community's less costly lifestyle-median home prices are just $213,900-means there should be enough cash left in the budget for the 50-minute trip to Arlington, Texas, for a Dallas Cowboys game.

Edison, N.J.: Working parents in Edison, N.J., can take advantage of the township's expansive after-school programs, which expose youngsters to a host of activities, including magic, piano, cooking, and arts and crafts. More than 30 area parks have facilities for tennis, basketball, soccer, and other sports. At the same time, this community of about 100,000 also offers organized youth leagues for everything from softball to lacrosse.

Here's our list of America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up:

-Virginia Beach, Va.

-Madison, Ala.

-San Jose, Calif.

-Overland Park, Kan.

-Boston

-Denver

-Rochester, Minn.

-Cedar Rapids, Iowa

-Plano, Texas

-Edison, N.J. source>>>

Child welfare workers too often overlooked family problems caused by mental illness, domestic violence, and drug and alcohol addiction before children died from abuse and neglect in 2007, according to a report issued yesterday by the New Jersey Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board.

The child welfare system also hired too many psychologists and psychiatrists who rely "primarily'' on the parents' or relatives' opinion about their mental state "without verifying information through collateral contact or historical documentation,'' the board's report said. source>>>

It's not uncommon when I visit schools to hear the frustration teachers feel with the lack of support they receive from parents.

As it is, teachers are under paid and unappreciated. But now they don't just have to teach they also have to deal with out of control children and uncooperative parents.

It is unfortunate that instead of supporting teachers and what they do parents add more stress by not following simple rules they should already know by now.

Rule one: Never allow your children to skip school. The importance you put on your child's education is the one your children will put on their studies.

When you take them out of school, the message you give your children is that you don't think their education is important.

Unless it is a very important family event like a wedding of a close family member, funeral or graduation. They must never miss school.

Rule two: Be on time. Wake your children up early enough so that you don't feel rushed in the mornings. Set appropriate bed times so that everyone gets enough sleep and your mornings will be smoother.

Rule three: Don't complain about rules, and familiarize yourself with school rules. Follow the dress code and don't buy younger children clothing that they won't be able to wear to school. This will avoid you having to pick out their clothing. Eventually when they get older they will know the difference between what they can wear during the weekend and school appropriate clothing.

Rule four: By the first week of school children should have all of their school supplies. You would be surprised how much money teachers spend from their own pocket giving out supplies to students.

Rule five: Meet the teacher and stay in touch. Some teachers meet parents at the beginning of the school year and never see them again.

Rule six: Volunteer as often as you can. Even a parent that works can help out by cutting out projects and crafts at home. Every little bit of help counts. Don't think that because your children are in middle school or high school you are not needed. There will always be things teachers will need your help with.

Rule seven: When your child is having a problem don't wait to go talk to his teacher. The sooner issues are addressed the better for the child. Always be polite and courteous towards your child's teacher.

Rule eight: Give your child's teacher a chance. Allow your child to adjust to his teacher and classmates before you complain. Every teacher has a different teaching style and it's good for your child to learn how to adjust and handle dealing with different personalities. source>>>

The Mets just dropped 3 of 4 from Philly, and their schedule will only get tougher coming up.

The Marlins are next on the list and the Mets have to travel and head to Florida after a miserable series with the Phills.

More bad news after hearing that David Wright will likely be done for the year, is that Santana had some arm and elbow issues and may be out for a bit.

He was scheduled to start Tuesday but will miss. Taking his spot is Nelson Figueroa, who has been shaky. Opposing him is Sean West who already had a big game against NY this season.

The betting odds in this one show the Marlins as a -205 favorite now that Santana is out. The total went from 7.5 to 9 and 9.5 at some books. Get up to 295% in total sign up bonus and bet these MLB odds at SBGGlobal.com.
Bet on NFL at SBG Global Sportsbook

Figueroa has not faced Florida since 2002. In his most recent outing he lasted less than 2 innings allowing 6 ER's to Arizona back in early August en route to a 6-5 loss against the MLB betting line.

Even including the healthy Mets line-up from last year, they have lost a combined 5 of 6 against the MLB betting line and odds when Fig takes the hill.

That spells trouble considering West has shown good numbers in his last 3 outings. The only flaw is that even though he allowed just 6 ER's in those outings, he only pitched 14 innings.

The Marlins went 2-1 against the MLB betting odds, and odds-makers feel strongly about West against the Mets listing him as a steep favorite.

The Marlins have just come off losing 2 of 3 to Atlanta and will grab an easy win against the MLB betting odds Tuesday.

A safer wager is Florida on the run-line as they will win this one by 4+ with an offensive explosion. Prediction, Florida 7-4. Get up to 295% in total sign up bonus and bet these MLB odds at SBGGlobal.com. source>>>

A bankruptcy court judge on Monday set an Aug. 31 hearing to expedite procedures in the sale of the Cubs from the Tribune Co. to the Ricketts family.

Judge Kevin Carey set the quick hearing to simplify and shorten the legal motion process as part of completing the deal.

A two-year quest to sell the Cubs ended on Friday as the parent Tribune Co. signed a definitive agreement to sell 95 percent of the franchise to the Ricketts family for $845 million.

Tom and Joe Ricketts will have management control of the joint venture as its 95 percent owner. Tribune Co. -- which owns the club, Wrigley Field and approximately a 25 percent interest in Comcast SportsNet -- will retain a five-percent ownership interest.

The Tribune Co., which filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year and owes $13 billion to creditors, outlined in papers sent to the court a two-step process that should culminate with the sale of the team. The first was the overall bankruptcy protection.

The second, the Tribune explained last week, is voluntarily placing the Cubs under Chapter 11 protection so that "the franchise can emerge free and clear of Tribune Co.'s financial obligations."

Once the deal is approved by the court, it will be submitted to MLB, where just like any other transfer of ownership it must be approved by a 75 percent vote of the 30 clubs. If the bankruptcy court proceedings are indeed expedited, the transfer could be approved at the next owners' meeting set for Nov. 18-19, appropriately enough, for Chicago's O'Hare Airport Hilton. source>>>

1. New York Yankees: You knew that season series with the Red Sox would turn around sooner or later.

2. Los Angeles Angels: The lineup is full of .300 hitters, but strange as it sounds, is there enough pitching to go all the way?

3. St. Louis Cardinals: There really is no glaring weakness or serious question mark on the roster, and that makes them a very narrow favorite in the NL.

4. Philadelphia Phillies: You gotta love that lineup, but can a team with a closer who has a 6-plus ERA win a second consecutive World Series?

5. Los Angeles Dodgers: Don't look now, but they've been a .500 team for nearly as long as the Rockies have been playing .600-plus baseball. But that said, expect a strong finish.

6. Boston Red Sox: It's not looking good for a Billy Wagner acquisition, so they need their own pieces -- Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka, etc. -- to have an impact down the stretch.

7. Colorado Rockies: If you haven't figured it out already, you're just not paying attention: Nobody has played better baseball since JIm Tracy took over on June 4.

8. Texas Rangers: Nobody expects them to beat the Red Sox in the wildcard chase, but they're making it pretty interesting, aren't they?

9 Tampa Bay Rays: Too many good hitters -- B.J. Upton and Pat Burrell, to name two -- are underachieving for another miracle to occur.

10. Detroit Tigers: You can't like their chances in the playoffs, as the lineup doesn't produce much against quality pitching.

11. Atlanta Braves: There's a chance here for a run at the wildcard, as the rotation is deep, and could get a boost from Tim Hudson. But like the Giants, the offense is a bit short.

12. San Francisco Giants: Everybody knows there isn't enough offense -- especially with Freddy Sanchez's shoulder keeping him out of the lineup. But the defense isn't very good, either.

13. Florida Marlins: Can they ride Josh Johnson and a handful of productive hitters to a late wild card run?

14. Chicago White Sox: No team in serious contention looks less like a contender than the Sox. And Jake Peavy still is a ways from getting a chance to make a difference.

15. Seattle Mariners: Nice season so far for Jack Zduriencik, Don Wakamatsu and Co.

16. Chicago Cubs: Only $845 million for a slightly disfunctional team that could get blown up this off-season. What a bargain. source>>>

Over the weekend, we college basketball fans learned of a relatively momentous thing: Indiana athletic director Fred Glass sent Bob Knight a handwritten invitation to the school's Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where Knight is going to be honored for his sporting contributions to Indiana University. Such an honor is a long time coming, and is the product of a whole new batch of people -- different president, different AD, and perhaps most importantly, different basketball coach -- in powerful positions at the school.

But just because you invite someone to something doesn't mean they'll show up. (I mean, I invite this guy Ryan to my birthday party every year, but I never actually want him to be there.) Knight is an irascible sort. He basically refuses to even mention Indiana when he's around a microphone no matter how many times Dick Vitale screams about naming Assembly Hall after him (after Knight) on ESPN College Gameday. Knight just sort of stares and doesn't say anything, and Rece Davis awkwardly moves the show along.

But if there's a chance Knight will ever come back to Bloomington, this is it. There are a couple of reasons for this.

- Fred Glass isn't messing around: Knight has plenty of friends left in Bloomington, and one of them is former Bloomington Herald-Times sports editor Bob Hammel, who has agreed to help Glass in his mission. It's hard to describe just how close Hammel and Knight were during Knight's heyday; John Feinstein's famous Season On The Brink captures Hammel and Knight as best friends whose respective duties never seemed to interfere with their closeness. (An argument about the journalistic ethics of being best friends with the prime subject of your coverage is for another day, I suppose, but let's just say it's more than a little questionable.) But anyway, if anyone can help convince Knight that now's the time to come back -- that they're getting too old for all this anger -- it's Hammel. Glass was wise to recruit Hammel to the cause.

- In recent years, Knight has shown a rapidly increasing ability to embrace forces he once so frequently collided with. The easiest example is ESPN. Knight once mercilessly insulted journalists at his press conferences, and even when he didn't have a TV-ready quip he was just flat mean. He apparently had zero respect for sports journalism. He hated it. And now, he is one of them.

This Indiana thing could arguably require even less of a reversal on Knight's part. Far as I can remember -- and who knows what Knight's said in private -- he's never said never to a return to Indiana. He just hasn't addressed the subject. And with a whole new batch of people in place, and a clear invitation not only from Indiana's fans but from the current administration itself, it wouldn't be that much of a leap.

Maybe Knight's still really angry, but if so, he's angry at the wrong things. The abstract, nebulous institution that is Indiana University didn't fire him. People did. Probably rightfully so. But if there was ever a time to forget those details and revel in honoring a fantastic (and fantastically flawed) college basketball coach, now is the time. source>>>

Nimrod Tishman, a 6-foot-6 freshman from Israel, is enrolled at the University of Florida and he attended his first class as a Gator basketball player on Monday, the start of the fall semester.
Advertisement

Tishman averaged more than 18 points in the under-18 European Championships this summer and was a late addition to the UF team.

Finding additional guard help was a great priority after the failure to land several recruits. Nick Calathes also left the school after his sophomore year to play pro ball in Greece.

Tishman still has some issues to get through before being eligible to play this season, including getting through the NCAA's clearinghouse.

Also, post player Eloy Vargas has been granted a release from his scholarship and is free to sign with another school. source>>>