Everything had fallen into place so nicely for Jerry Jones. The Pacman Jones deal is done. HBO is locked in to run its oft-interesting "Hard Knocks" behind-the-scenes at training camp. T.O. plays Flavor Flav's brother on some MTV show tonight, likely spawning a friendship that could have half the team wearing sundials around their necks during film sessions.

And now ... this? No Jessica and Tony. That'll put a surgery-defying crease in Jerry's forehead. Unless it's all a ruse. (Heck, her rep already says it's not true.) Unless this is merely the buildup to reconciliation the cameras can catch this summer. Picture it ... Romo in his dorm room, leaving message after text for an AWOL Jess? Shopping for baby gifts for Ashlee? Flav telling Romo he's got Brigitte Neilsen on speed dial? Mark Gastineau getting inflamed by that news.

That, my friends, that will advance the brand. And isn't that what training camp is for?   

Psychic Judi Hoffman hits Kentucky Derby Trifecta. Who's Next for The Triple Crown?

Did you get this in your inbox too? (Cause I don't have a clue how Judi's people found me.)

Anyways, I read on ... it is after all for immediate release.

Vibrant celebrity psychic Judi Hoffman hit a trifecta at the May 3, 2008 Kentucky Derby. A "trifecta" is when a bettor predicts exactly which horses will finish in first, second, and third place. With an OTB ticket to prove it (scan attached), Judi predicted that horses Big Brown (20), Eight Belles (5) and Denis of Cork (16) would be the winning order.  (Don't we all wish we were at that 44th street OTB!)

It goes on...

After winning $1,619 on a $6 bet, (that's it?) Judi is gearing up for a Triple Crown success
and now she would like to share the wealth with others!

She is available to do a live on-air pre-race prediction
on site at an OTB or in the studio for
The Preakness Stakes coming up on Saturday, May 17, 2008.

Oh. So this is about sharing the wealth. Got it. I think to myself, "Eh. At this point it doesn't hurt to continue reading." And I do. In addition to the above I learned Judi "recommends gambling within your means and trusting your own 'horsesense' above and beyond her psychic predictions."

*Dictionary.com provided no definition for 'horsesense'.

Judi's predictions aren't limited to just horses. Oh no. She was right about Eliot Spitzer ... saying he would not complete his term, predicted back in March that Scarlet Johansson would get engaged and claims she is not a "hocus pocus airy-fairy talking to the dead type psychic". Classic.

Along with her two psychic cats, she meditates when she lifts weights or surfs the Internet. But my all time favorite Judi-like sentence in the whole thing has got to be the following:

Her favorite cocktail is Grey Goose on the rocks in a tall glass with plenty of ice. She loves cruises, anything leopard and shopping at Prada.

What!? Again, She loves cruises, anything leopard and shopping at Prada. You just can't make that up. Which is why I wish I knew Judi H, the vibrant celebrity psychic, who along with her two psychic cats can predict the future and is no hocus pocus airy-fairy. Someone get this woman a Grey Goose on the rocks (with a ton of ice!). Because she is fabulous!

What struck me most, watching him talk with Ernie, Kenny and Chuck, was not just the purpose for his visit. What struck me was the obvious love for people and the passion inside of Ohonme. It has been said so many times, but it's true: the key to happiness if putting others before yourself. Which explains why so few wide receivers in the NFL are ever happy.

Ohonme's idea is both terrific and contagious. As is his spirit. Listening him talk about Samaritan's Feet with the three TNTers was more uplifting than most sermons you could have heard yesterday. It's no surprise that when the segment wrapped, Barkley extended a hand to Ohonme and said, "You're a good man."

That he is. If you want to make a donation to Samaritan's Feet, click here.

The Strangers

If you have yet to see the trailer for "The Strangers", a horror flick that opens on May 30th, well, whoa. Watching it is like channeling a nightmare. I don't even know how the movie, starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, can be any spookier. This may be the most primally scary flick since "Blair Witch Project", and like that film this one purports to be "inspired by true events" (which does not mean that what you are watching ever actually happened) and has a well-crafted web site. On the site you are told the names of the victims, the night of the incident (February 11, 2005) and even the address of the house where they stayed, though no state or town is ever provided.

If you get a chance--and if it is daytime--take a look at the trailer and the "Experience" link as well.

This film could very well be the sleeper hit of the summer. It acts on a premise you're familiar with from the very first time you were afraid to open the closet door in your bedroom late at night because you wondered what was on the other side. Basically, the idea is that some things that go bump in the night really are out to get you.

A few more observations, added here late at night:

1) This is not new territory. Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" revolves around the true story of the Clutter family, a Kansas farming family who were all killed in their own home on an otherwise peaceful Saturday evening in the autumn. That the story is true always made it more terrifying. I've always thought the first 40 or so pages of that book, even though the murders themselves are not described until the end of the book, were not to be read if you're alone at night. "Helter Skelter", based on the Manson family murders, is another example of real-life home invasion murders that are terrifying.

And if you spend some time reading message boards about this film, you'll see that there's a lot of interest among creepo types (I guess I cannot exclude myself) about a real-life unsolved series of murders from 1981, the Keddie Resort murders. Google it if you wish.

2) Halloween. Scream. The Strangers. Horror-flick killers are always scarier if you cannot see their faces. That's what made the Blair Witch so uber-scary: you never even saw any part of her. So how come we are not more scared of mascots?

3) This is going to sound stupid, but there's an episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" that scared me out of my wits once. In the episode Rob and Laura Petrie go to a cabin in the woods with two other couples. Then, one by one during the evening, various members of the party mysteriously vanish until only Rob is left. Turns out that it was supposed to be part of a "Candid Camera"-style (or, if you're below 35 years old, "Punk'd") gag at Rob's expense, but until the "gotcha" moment, it was honestly creepy.

Fast Times at Heritage Hall

Let me be blunt. Why does Mike Garrett still have his athletic director job at Southern Cal? In June Reggie Bush, who as a Trojan tailback became the school's most recent Heisman Trophy winner exactly 40 years after Garrett was its first playing the same position, must provide a deposition regarding the lawsuit he is facing. Lloyd Lake, a sports marketer, is suing Bush for $291,000 that he claims he gave Bush while he was a "student" at USC.

Exactly how dirty is all of this? In February Lake was scheduled to give a deposition, but he and his attorney, Brian Watkins, walked out after encountering Bush's attorney, David Cornwell. An unidentified man accompanying Cornwell opened up his jacket to reveal a gun.

And then there's O.J. Mayo, the details of whose story will eventually come out and be every bit as seamy as Bush's.

But Bush and Mayo are just pawns of avarice. How do you explain the video of Pete Carroll's son, Brennan Carroll, overseeing a recent Trojan walk-on tryout. I wish that I could show this to you, but it has been pulled. When I first saw it, I thought it must be a spoof. It looked like something Mad TV would have sponsored, not PeteCarroll.TV (which is where it first ran).

Highlights of the video were 1) Brennan finding three different ways to wear his visor, 2) Brennan dissing former USC walk-on Ben Malcolmson, who made the team in 2005 while trying out as a first-person piece for "The Daily Trojan", and 3) Brennan ordering prospects to run the 40 two men at a time, but then being reminded by a fellow Trojan assistant that he doesn't have a stopwatch. "That's alright," says the younger Carroll, "I'll keep the times in my head."

Sometimes the apple, it seems, is rocket-launched away from the tree.

Isn't anyone at Troy embarrassed by all of this? Or does it not matter as long as Pete Carroll can still put five guys into the first round of the NFL draft?

Tumbleweed Recreation Center

I'm in Chandler, Ariz., for a few days, visiting family. Today my two septuagenarian parents and I went for a workout together (!) at a beautiful new city-operatied facility with the desert-ready name of "Tumbleweed Recreation Center". I love that.

My gym in Manhattan has half the size and facilities of this place, and costs $165 per month. The Tumbleweed Recreation Center costs $300 per year. Then again, at my NYC gym there's always the chance that Barney from "How I Melt Your Mother" will be in the locker room, which would be legend--wait for it--ary.

And how does this relate to Mike D'Antoni, you ask? Or even if you did not ask. This afternoon I visited a gym in suburban Phoenix, a state-of-the-art facility in a decent area (Leinart throws his hot tub parties not two miles away), that costs a member $25 per month. And then I rented an economy car down the road for the most economical price of $29 per day.

In New York City, where I live, that gym would cost me $165 per month and the car never less than $65. So, Coach, you may have bristled under owner Robert Sarver and somewhat meddling GM Steve Kerr (who, you must be remember, was only a rookie in this GM game this past season). But you've traded them in for James Dolan, who must be the worst owner in sports, and Donnie Walsh, a terrific GM.

In terms of players, you've gone from an A-minus to an F-plus (the "plus" due to David Lee and Jamal Crawford).

Financially, you'll be going from about $4.2 million per year to $6 million per year, but if my two examples of cost-of-living are worth extrapolating, New York is at least 50-75% more expensive than Phoenix. And then there are the number of sunny days. And the matter of landing at Sky Harbor as opposed to the Westchester Airport. Oh, and New York's state and city income tax.

It's not that, as a Suns fan, I'm bitter to see D'Antoni go. I'm really not ("he does sound bitter, though, doesn't he, Martha?"). I've resigned myself to the "Setting Suns" aspect of this current era of the franchise, as Bill Simmons wrote so encyclopedically about a week or two ago. With Chris Paul ascending and the Lakers being the Lakers, Phoenix wasn't about to sniff an NBA Finals in the next five years. And maybe that is why D'Antoni left. It's a lot easier to get to the Finals out of the East and coaching in the league's most vital market.

Still, from a financial standpoint D'Antoni did himself no favors this weekend.

By the way, for future trivia, it is worth noting that in his last home game as Suns coach, D'Antoni got himself tossed from a game in which Phoenix was up by 20 points at the time.

Tally Ho to the Valley Ho!

Once a year six or seven of my high school buddies (a.k.a. "The Gang") and I get together to insult one another and play "Flippy Cup". (Insult example: Our friend Chob, for reasons unbeknownst to us but we assume it to have something to do with his fleet of hair-care products, checked a bag on his flight from San Francisco to Phoenix for a two-day stay. Of course the airline lost his bags, and so Chob and our friend Zach, it is rumored, waited for his bag at one of the many fine gentleman's establishments that envelop Sky Harbor Airport. All of which led to this exchange between two others from our group:

"Chob and Zach went to a strip club."

"So that's the second time today he's had his bag checked."

"And mishandled."

This past weekend we did the trip in our hometown of Scottsdale. As we all grew up here, we know the area fairly well. Still, we were pleasantly surprised by the hotel we picked. When we were teenagers the Valley Ho, which opened in 1956, was a derelict dump, way past its prime, on the western fringe of downtown Scottsdale.

In the past five years or so, though, the owners have poured millions and millions of dollars into a renovation, turning it into a Rat Pack-wannabe hangout. The gift shop sells only CDs by Sinatra and Dean Martin, for example, and the cocktail lounge, ZuZu, looks like something out of The Jetsons. You walk through the lobby and you feel as if the theme song from "I Dream of Jeannie" should be playing in the background.

The Valley Ho is the scene, in short, and we were totally out of our league there--but loving it (and if you have a drink at ZuZu, you can only hope that the fabulous Patty will be your cocktail waitress). First, the sign out front drew no shortage of young lovelies to stand next to it and pose for photographs. Specifically, the lassies stand next to the latter word and hike up the skirt to expose a lot of leg. It's as if everyone wants to have the sluttiest Facebook homepage these days, isn't it?

Then there's the pool area, where you have to show your room key just to be let in. On Saturday afternoon it was something right out of "Entourage", with a deejay and a bar and, no kidding, a drug dealer who was blatantly unconcerned about sticking out like a sore thumb, which he was (then again, so were we five 41 year-old men). You couldn't miss this dude. Had to have weighed 350 pounds, all tatted up, walking around with a huge black backpack and talking up his homeys. And when he was finished working, he even took a dip in the pool. You have to admire that kind of spunk.

(I know, I know. I am literally a buzzkill.) 

Anyway, the Valley Ho almost makes visiting Phoenix between Memorial Day and Labor Day worthwhile. Almost.

P.S. On Sunday morning my parents, Bill and Phyl, drove up to Scottsdale to pick me up at the Ho. In order to make it easier for them, I phoned and told them that I'd be standing on the corner of the intersection just outside the hotel waiting for them. So I'd be easier to find. And my mom, whom I love, asks, "What are you wearing?"

Granted most work environments are large spaces filled with desks, computers, TV's, printers, and a fax machine or two. Few "offices" are actual locker rooms... yet the very fine line between a typical locker room and a professional office was crossed on Tuesday. Of course which side of the line the offense falls on depends on who you talk to.

Gist of the deal is someone (no one person has been to blame) placed two inflatable female dolls, propped by bats (you can guess where the bats were placed), inside the locker room. The new "mascots" had signs hanging around their neck that read: "You've Got To Push" and "Let's Go White Sox". It was a petty and cheap display of team spirit with the laughable hope that a few dolls could bring the team out of a losing slump. Hey, we all have our ways of finding motivation. Turns out the cheerleaders dolls didn't work, they still lost. 

Now here's the thing... was the act tasteless? Yeah, pretty much. Offensive? I could see how someone would be. I did not walk into the locker room, so as a woman I can't say 100% that I would or would not be offended by it. Did it completely lack in good judgment? Absolutely. But in the scheme of things, was there any harm meant in it? No way. A bad joke is a bad joke. Beyond someone looking for a cheap pick me up, I don't think there was any bigger meaning beyond it.

I'm not defending the team. This is no Matt Leinart invasion. Displaying it in the locker room where media has access made it fair game to become a big story. On top of that, when the manager has been known for poor taste in past decisions, it's hard to make excuses. 

The real question is should the behavior in the locker room have to change? Is what's acceptable behind closed doors between teammates still ok when visitors aka journalists have access inside those closed doors? Does the set environment have to fit the people who are present? Or should the media recognize that they are only guests in someone else's office and the purpose of their stay is to gather information for the story? The story being the game at hand.

I'd like to think that sometimes our sensitivity gets in the way of humor. Then again, humor can be harsh and repulsive.

In this case, it makes one think. Who knew a blow-up doll could make you do that.

Paul Pierce is 1 for 7. Ray Allen is 0 for 3. Boston has 16 turnovers (3 each by Pierce, Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins). Cleveland is 20 for 23 from the line and Boston is 8 for 10.

Lebron James is laboring through a 1 for 9 start himself in his first 20 minutes on the floor but all by hisself he's 8 for 10 from the line.

This is a rockfight.

"I GOTTA GO PEE!"

Last night I finished writing late, and you just cannot go to sleep immediately after that, so I watched "The Green Mile", which has some outstanding performances by the way (none better than Sam Rockwell as rapist-murderer "Wild Bill" Wharton). Anyway ...

"Forrest Gump" (1994)

"The Green Mile" (1999)

"Cast Away" (2000)

And those are just the ones I remember. Did he pee in any other films. And why? I understand that sometimes it is part of the plot (e.g., The Green Mile), but it seems a little bizarre, no? Anyone able to help me here?

NEW ENGLAND BASEBALL

For those of you beyond New England and the Mid-Atlantic States who may not have heard, the baseball team at Division III Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., finished its regular season 34-0. That's the best "start" to a season in NCAA baseball history. The Bantams host the NESCAC conference tourney this weekend as they look to keep their perfect season intact.

Meanwhile, a little farther north up I-93 (or I-95), you probably read about the angry New York Yankee fan in Nashua, N.H., who plowed her '97 Dodge Intrepid into a group of Red Sox fans who'd been taunting her. One man died. The movie rights have already been optioned for this incident under the working title "Fever Bitch".

So I'm still obsessed with last Tuesday's "Costas Now". And the more I watch that 16-minute "Sports Bloggers" segment, the funnier I find host Bob Costas', "Braylon, do you blog?" question. Outside of this one moment, Costas was his typical self, which is to say masterful. I believe that he was actually jazzed by the live format, by the challenge to his intellect to cover five different topics live over 90 minutes while also following the "comic stylings of Paul Mercurio." (our in-studio warm-up comic)

What happened, then, with that question? My suspicion is that the mind of Costas, for just a moment, went blank. The question was a stall, something I've done dozens of times during an interview when I've had a runaway train of thought. As have almost all reporters. The difference is that we were not on live TV. Why did Costas blank for a moment? Maybe he was musing to himself, "Did I just say, 'Good riddance, (bleep)face' on national television?"

-- Where were the women? Only one of the 15 panelists was female (Selena Roberts of SI) and none of the topics concerned women in sports. If HBO ever returns to this format, or to something similar, here are some females they'd definitely want on based on intellect and wit: Mary Carillo, Rebecca Lobo (far funnier than you might imagine), Doris Burke and, the best female sportswriter out there as far as I'm concerned, Sally Jenkins.

-- HBO Sports may not be able to replicate the, ahem, buzz the next time they did it, but "Costas Now" should definitely return to the live format. And it would behoove them to do such a program with more frequency, say, once every six weeks. Make it a 30-60 minute show. Look what this format has done for Bill Maher's career...and Costas, by the way, was as articulate a guest as "Real Time" has had this season.

-- Remember the anecdote Michael Wilbon shared about George Michael ("Sports Machine", not sex machine). It was Michael who stepped into a crowded press room at the NCAAs and shouted, "WHERE ARE THE BLACK PEOPLE?" (Michael is white, by the way).

Anyway, that reminds me of a favorite moment from SI. It was just before Christmas, when all of the writers are invited for an annual pow-wow at the Death Star, I mean, Time Warner Building. It was just after lunch and all of us were to meet in the conference room. At the time there was only one black writer on staff, Phil Taylor, who happens to be a wonderful guy.

I am seated next to Kostya Kennedy, who has a wicked wit, and Phil happens to walk behind us in search of a seat. As he does, Kostya mock-whispers to me loud enough for Phil to hear, "See that? All the black writers only hang out with each other."

Phil smiled.

That and other priceless vignettes will someday be available in my tell-most-but-not-all memoir about SI entitled, "To B. Peter Carry, Or Not To B. Peter Carry." (don't worry if you don't get that).

TODAY'S QUESTION

Is it just me or do all allergy relief medicine spokesmodels have the most beautiful, sparkly eyes?

TODAY'S ANSWER

Someone asked, so I'm answering: The reason that it's called a Phillips screwdriver is because a man named Henry Phillips invented it. Henry invented both the screw and the driver (I know!...sorry, stole that from Craig Ferguson) and had them patented in 1934 and 1936. One of the biggest advantages of the Phillips screw, according to the story I read, is that "Phillips screws are almost impossible to overscrew", and we all know how painful that can be.

Me, I'm working on a Mackenzie Phillips Screwdriver, which is made with orange juice, vodka and cocaine.

MICAH OWINGS

Anyone who played Little League baseball remembers that the team's best pitcher was also likely its best hitter. Or at least one of them. Because that kid was just the best all-around baseball player on the team (me, I played rover). So it's somewhat of a surprise that Arizona Diamondback hurler/hitter Micah Owings is such an anomaly. Last week Owings, who has a 4-1 record this season, hit a pinch-hit three-run homer for the D-Backs, who trailed by two at the time, in a win against the New York Mets.

The homer was even more surprising because the Mets, once Owings came to the plate, brought in a lefty reliever to face Owings, a lefty, and Arizona manager Bob Melvin chose to keep Owings in the game. He may just be the best hitter on baseball's best team thus far in '08.

ESPN had a terrific graphic on Owings the other evening showing that, among pinch-hitters with a minimum of 75 career plate appearances, Owings has the fifth-best OPS (On-base % + Slugging %) of all-time behind only Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Barry Bonds. Good company.

Evening Stars, Morning Stars

Did you stay up until the end of the San Jose Sharks-Dallas Stars Game 6 NHL playoff game this morning? I went to bed after the 3rd overtime, shortly before 2 a.m. here on the East coast. Dallas won in the 4th O.T.

Breaking News from CNBC

It appears that Microsoft (MSFT) has abandoned its hopes of purchasing Yahoo (YHOO). My sources tell me that MSFT is now looking into buying Yoo-Hoo. "There are those who'd wonder why we'd transition from hoping to acquire a complementary tech company with a wildly lucrative search engine to a company that specializes in manufacturing chocolaty soda drinks," said my highly placed source in Redmond, Wash. "The answer, of course, is spite."

Programming Idea

I'm no Ben Silverman, but I'd like to see NBC create a 30-minute Sunday morning show all about sausage-making. Brats, kielbasas, hot dogs, breakfast links, everything. Then they'd have an hour of TV featuring, back-to-back, "Meet The Press" followed by "Press The Meat".

You're welcome.

Tony Prito

My good friend Charles Davis (NFL Network, Fox) phoned last week and left the following voicemail message: "John, was Tony Prito Italian or was he Puerto Rican?"

Prito, of course, was in Frank and Joe Hardy's posse, along with husky Chet Morton, Biff Hooper and Phil Cohen. So I Wikipedia Tony and this is what I learn:

Son of Italian immigrants and a close friend of Frank and Joe Hardy, Tony works for his father's construction company and in the Casefiles is also the manager of Bayport's local Pizza Parlor, Mr. Pizza.

Wow. Stereotype much, F.W. Dixon?

The funny part is that when I Wiki'd Chet and Biff, their ethnicities were not mentioned. It is mentioned that Phil is Jewish, though.

Personally, I feel scarred and I'm going straight to Bayport Chief of Police Ezra Collig to file a complaint.

Also, Charles and I have concluded that Fenton Hardy must have been on the take. How else could he have afforded to have his own private pilot?

Pat Putnam

Sad story regarding former Sports Illustrated boxing writer Pat Putnam, who died in 2005. As someone who occasionally fact-checked his stories, it was disturbing to have come across this.

Moose Crossing

Finally, I'd like to report that a Moose made a successful border crossing from Canada into the United States a week ago Friday. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service should take note, as should perhaps the Dept. of Homeland Security.

"The Giants winning the way they won is a nine. The Mets collapsing the way they did, from what we do, is a ten." -- Mike Francesa, WFAN

Champ: Michael Strahan, New York Giants
Punching Bag: Chris Russo, WFAN
Admiral Stockdale "Who am I and what am I doing here?" honoree: Mitch Albom
Best Moment: When Russo attempted to demonstrate that he is fair by noting that when the Giants won the Super Bowl, he praised Strahan. Replied the future Hall of Fame defensive end, "You had no choice."
The Skinny: Apparently, sports talk hosts are misogynistic, two-faced louts who possess all the charm of Louie DePalma. Who knew? Strahan had the best punches landed-per-punches thrown of any panelist the entire evening, noting that Russo may not be the best-suited person to talk football "when the last time you had a uniform on your mom took you trick-or-treating."
HBO Entertainment Rating: "Real Time With Bill Maher"

Part 2: The Internet and the Impact of Bloggers

"You don't have to go to school to say, like, "I think that the Indians should have pulled Carmona in the eighth." -- Michael Schur (a.k.a. Ken Tremendous), FireJoeMorgan.com
  
Buzzsaw: H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger, author, rageaholic
Sonny Corleone pulling into the tollbooth: Will Leitch, founder of Deadspin
Stockdale Honoree: Braylon Edwards, Pro Bowl wideout, Cleveland Browns
Best Moment: Perhaps it was hearing the most articulate man in sports, Costas, say (even if he was just reading a commenter's words), "Good riddance, (bleep)-face."
The Skinny: The morning after this show aired I was able to find well-written columns on this fracas (as well as hilarious comments, such as "W.C. Fields > W.C. Heinz") all over the interwebs. Meanwhile, not one of New York's four major newspapers had a word on it. Print is dead.
HBO Entertainment Rating: "The Sopranos"

"There are a lot of shows that I watch now (on ESPN) where it's a screaming match. It's who can yell the loudest. It's almost like gas-bags on parade." -- Al Michaels, NBC broadcaster, miracle believer-in'er

Millionaires Club: Joe Buck, Fox; Dan Pugh Patrick, SI; Mike Tirico, ESPN
Best Moment: When Buck turned the question of the potential conflict of interest any network has in broadcasting an event while maintaining journalistic credibility on Costas. Buck cited the upcoming Beijing Olympics and mused, "You're in a situation where if you speak out…", and then Patrick took the alley-oop pass and finished, "…you stay in China."
The Skinny: The least compelling topic -- the subject matter was too broad -- featured the keen wit of Buck ("And how do those people (on Around The Horn) get points?") and Patrick, but ultimately there was not enough conflict to make this segment compelling.
HBO Entertainment Rating: "Big Love"

Part 4: Athletes and the Media

"Like I always tell all my friends, you should never discuss your personal life with a reporter, ever." -- Charles Barkley

Panelists: Selena Roberts, SI; Tiki Barber, NBC; John McEnroe
Say What? Did anyone else find it bizarre when Barber mentioned that you never know when a journalist will screw an athlete over in order to make a name for himself? Isn't this the same TV personality who called former teammate Eli Manning's attempt to become a team leader "comical" during his "Football Night In America" debut? And how did that work out?
The Skinny: This panel exuded all the chemistry of the "John From Cincinnati" cast. Roberts lamented the fact that, even as an SI writer, she was unable to get 10 minutes of face time with LeBron James for a piece. But why should an athlete devote time to a print reporter, who might manipulate quotes and context, when he can appear on ESPN? By appearing in person there is less chance that his words and his intent is misconstrued.
It's Like This: When I was covering the NFL for SI, Denver Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs would fine any of his linemen if he saw them quoted in print. And now one of those linemen, Mark Schlereth, makes his living as a popular on-air analyst for ESPN.
HBO Entertainment Rating: "In Treatment"

Part 5: Race and the Media

"And on deadline (George Michael, white broadcaster) bellowed out, 'Where are the black people in here?'" -- Michael Wilbon, co-host, PTI

Def Honesty Jam: Wilbon; Cris Carter, ESPN; Jason Whitlock, FoxSports.com
The Skinny: Don't tell me -- Don Imus and Kelly Tilghman declined their invitations to appear? No panel was, as a whole, more passionate about their topic and none was more compelling. Whitlock was unafraid to criticize Kellen Winslow, Sr., who appeared in the taped segment, for having his facts wrong. Carter vented decades-long frustration about having been moved to wide receiver because his youth coaches were determined not to have a black kid play quarterback. And both Whitlock and Wilbon cited a deceased white columnist -- and it was not even W.C. Heinz! -- as their biggest influence (Mike Royko).
HBO Entertainment Rating: "The Wire"

Clearly, HBO's little experiment of adding some "Real Time" flavor to "Costas Now" registered with viewers. And, just as important, it was a hit with new media, which hasn't stopped blogging about it literally since the show ended (Leitch had an item posted on Deadspin the next morning even though he had already hopped a flight to L.A., meaning he'd probably written it just an hour or two after appearing).

Here's hoping that HBO Sports makes this live wrinkle a recurring part of the duties of Costas (who had time to make a cameo appearance in Conan O'Brien's studio audience last night). After all, what has he have to keep him busy this summer?

With the selections of Jake Long (Miami), Chris Long (St. Louis) and Matt Ryan (Atlanta) as picks 1-2-3, this becomes the first NFL draft since 1975 in which the first three players picked were white. I don't know how much further you'd have to go back to find a draft in which the top three selections were white but none were named White (Randy White was the second pick), or how far you'd have to go back in which the top three selections were white and none was a quarterback selected by the Falcons (Steve Bartkowski was the top overall pick).

By the way, anyone-anyone? Bueller?-- know the added significance of Bartkowski's selection? That's right, the Cal QB selected as his agent a fellow Golden Bear, a wet-behind-the-ears kid named Leigh Steinberg.

ADAMS FAMILY

Inspired by my John Adams riff, Everlasting, Everglading Blogstalker G.A. proposed a 12-part series on Sam Adams. Thus, counter-inspired, I offer my top ten Adamses we'd love to see HBO devote a dozen painstaking hours to -- with Laura Linney appearing in every series, of course:

1) Pugsley Ad(d)ams

2) Alvan Adams

4) Ansel Adams (in black and white)

5) Don Adams (with Linney portraying Barbara Feldon, naturally)

6) Douglas Adams ("Don't panic!")

7) Maude Adams

8) Grizzly Adams

9) Eddie Adams

10) Carbon Atoms (Yes, but won't viewers find this Bohr-ing?)

SHARK ATTACK

Updating the shark attack tale, it had been 49 years since the last fatal shark attack off the coast of San Diego County. David Martin, 66, died yesterday morning while swimming with about eight other members of the Triathlon Club of San Diego. A retired veterinarian and father of four, Martin was bitten on both legs, most likely by a great white, and died from massive loss of blood. Today lifeguards are recommending that people not swim or surf along an eight-mile stretch of beach from Torrey Pines to just north of Encinitas, but if you are familiar with that part of the world, you'll not be surprised that today surfers entered the water as usual.

As I got back here and prepared to blogerate, Chris Long came into the 10x16 room stacked with equipment and staff. We got it done with Chris in two minutes and have since flowed in every one of the six guys in NYC except Vernon Gholston.

They've been outstanding in these 1-on-1 setting that we'll be putting up on-line hopefully before too long.  

Quick impressions from backstage ...

* Chris Long talking to his family: "I got 20 text messages while I was on stage!"

* Jake Long trailed backstage by ESPN and Miami Herald reporter Dan LeBatard.

* A Falcons official talking back to, presumably, Atlanta higher-ups about newly-drafted quarterback Matt Ryan: "He's handling the Mike Vick stuff great

And Mike Mayock on the NFL Network talking about corner Leodis McKelvin taken by the Bills: "I saw him get hit in the helmet three times with passes. Other than that, he's a Pro Bowl player."

We're about five minutes from the start of this mess. Deion Sanders just came out to warm up the crowd which is fairly frothy (or course they are - you have to be twisted to COME to the draft). Carnival barking like he was born to this stuff, Sanders introduced the six New York invitees.

There was a smattering of boos for the Dolphins first overall pick, Jake Long and a few more for Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.

A few other sights and sounds since I got here.

* On every team table there is a jar of M&Ms with shells in team colors. I personally like the Bucs colors.

* Just talked with Brian Billick who's going to be doing a full slate of games in a two-man booth for Fox in the fall. He's on the set for the NFL Network today.

* Asked Gene Upshaw how things have progressed since the Matt Stover Coup Attempt came to light a few weeks back. The NFLPA head said, "He's a kicker. If it was Ray Lewis, I might have been more concerned..." Ouch, doctor. Not sure how that's going to play with the rank&file special teamers.

* Now we have New York State of Mind piped in on the organ.