You know it's going to be a long day when this guy is behind the plate. What a shocking combination of professional ineptitude and personal unsavoriness.

Quoted: ...one of his proudest moments as a Major League umpire was working the 1999 All-Star Game in Boston...

You mean he hasn't been invited back?

Quoted: Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder scored in the first half, and standout defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst added the third goal on a counterattack in the 79th minute to give Italy its most lopsided loss in the history of the tournament.

Quoted: Evidently MLB's accountants determined this predatory strategy to be a more cost-effective method of sending a message than leaving a burning bag of dog poo on every single baseball fan's doorstep.

A sports story you'll probably remember for a while.

Quoted: When Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky suffered a torn ACL at first base, her hit -- and career -- appeared lost.

Here are Matt Millen's notes from the draft room today. Unbelievable.

Well, that was easy.

Quoted: It seemed the Tigers biggest infield surprise of the night had come from Ramon Santiago. He started at second base and hit his first homer in five years to finish off the Tigers’ three-homer third inning in their 10-2 win over Texas.

Quoted: Effective immediately, Cabrera is the first baseman and Guillen is the third baseman.

I haven't read the whole article yet - looks like typical DisneySports fare - but I love the subject matter. SLAM also has a profile out. Go Sheed, Go Stones.

Quoted: Even an opposing coach, Stan Van Gundy, agrees. "He's extremely smart, ahead of every play. He doesn't miss helps or rotations. He knows when it's time to shoot and time to pass. I've never understood why he isn't a perennial All-Star."

A comprehensive look at why college athletes aren't paid and a lot of very good arguments for why they should be. (Featuring commentary from a great professor of mine and Liz's.)

Quoted: Michigan State law professor Robert McCormick, another sports law and antitrust expert, said athletes "should be treated as employees." After all, they sign a binding contract (a national letter of intent) to perform certain duties (play sports) that bring significant revenue to their employer (the school).

Best Tigers season preview I've seen yet.

Quoted: [O]n the matter of tempting fate.... I regret to say I'm NOT doing my part; in fact, I'm thinking of getting a Tigers Old English 'D' tattoo. Now, you might say, well, what if the Tigers go on another 20-year ass-sucking binge? To which I say, did I attend multiple Tigers games during a season when Randall Simon was named team MVP? I did.