Well Madden 08 comes out today and I’m still at work so I guess that means I’m a grown-up now. Excited to play the game, read some reviews and I’m pretty ready to see what it’s like. May hold off for a week or so before picking it up due to a possibly large purchase by yours truly later this week. More details to come on that.

I am definitely keeping an eye on this tropical storm that is headed this way. I have lived in Destin for a little over a year now and the closest I’ve ever come to experiencing a hurricane was Tropical Storm Alberto that steered clear of here but still kicked up some waves and some wind. Not real interested in experiencing a major hurricane. Fingers crossed.

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A really interesting article in the Rocky Mountain News on Javon Walker and how he is dealing, or not dealing, with the shooting death of teammate Darrent Williams.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune ponders what a LSU/USC BCS title game would be like. One word: delicious. 

Arkansas suffers a tough loss on offense.

Washington Post columnist Norman Chad on how sports journalists have infilitrated radio and TV, for better or worse.

An early Fanhouse review of Madden 08.

Philadelphia sports writers react to last night’s preseason thumping.

• Les Bowen: Nearly pointless
• Phil Sheridan: Kolb’s debut not fantastic, not terrible
• Dana Pennett O’Neil: Rookie tight end impressive in opener.
• John Smallwood: Kolb’s schooling just beginning.

The Washington Post’s Michael Wilbon on the mess at Ball State.

A nice Indy Star piece on Marvin Harrison.

Is The Big Ten college football’s most overrated conference?

South Carolina looking desperately for an offensive line.

Vince Young apologizes for one-game suspension.

Michael Vick’s attorneys are working on a plea deal.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wish tight end Alex Smith was as good at real football as he is at Madden.

Broncos cornerback Dominique Foxworth frustrated with lack of playing time.  Foxworth is a good young corner and everyone had to have seen this coming when the Broncos acquired Dre Bly in the off-season. My guess is that Foxworth will become such a headache that the Broncos will end up shopping him around next off season barring an injury to Dre Bly or Champ Bailey.

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Well-rounded news… 

Apple to pit iPhone against Nintendo DS.

Kevin Smith to cast Jason Bateman as male lead in upcoming romantic comedy?

Title of new Punisher flick ensure it’s going to be terrible.

The Bostonist chats it up with Bottom Line fav. Matt Nathanson, whose new album Some Mad Hope comes out today.

No, seriously…

Bringing new meaning to meals on wheels.

A woman who hates spiders is saved by them.

Jon Lovitz and Andy Dick threw down.. yes, they’re both still alive. Who knew?

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USAToday on quarterbacks who need to have a big ‘07.

The NFL is officially back. That is, if you care about the Jets rookies reporting to Hofstra for orientation.

It is likely all three of the Browns top draft picks will hold out. Seriously, the NFL needs to step in and do something about this. I’m so tired of rookies holding out of training camp. Get in camp, be a professional. They ought to structure rookie salaries the way the NBA does and quit letting rookie holdouts dominate NFL training camp news.

A fun story from the Purdue student newspaper (Trust me, I’m as shocked as you are.. who knew they knew how to write cohesive sentences up there) about a group of Purdue football players waiting in line at Wal-Mart for the new NCAA Football 2008.

Wilbon on Becks.

It looks as though Chiefs fans are siding with Larry Johnson on his contract dispute with the franchise.

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Mandatory Vick News…

The AJC’s Mark Bradley says there’s no easy way out for Falcons.

ESPN’s Len Pasquarelli says the NFL and the Falcons may ask the quarterback to take a paid leave of absence.

Nice cartoon in today’s AJC by political cartoonist Mike Luckovich.

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Well-Rounded News…

Lighters will be allowed back on airplanes. Unreal.

New CEO of Revision3, parent company of Diggnation, talks about the company’s future.

A smaller, cheaper iPhone may be in the works. And in related news, I still don’t care.

CNET teaches you how to ghost hunt.

Young adults and teens aren’t reading the news. Wow, great stuff, guys! Really!

You’re less likely to die in a plane crash if you’re sitting in the back.

This guy is the new Green Hornet:

Huffington Post’s Tony Sachs talks about losing his wife to Harry Potter.

Top 10 things you can do with your time before reading the new Harry Potter.

The New York Post’s Top 100 cover songs of all-time.

Newsweek’s Devin Gordon on the Emmy nominations.

With all of the Michael Vick news, you could ever want below, Today’s Line will be (thankfully) free of any Vick-related stories.

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No, seriously…

Dressing monkeys in diapers with the beautification of a city in mind.

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The phenomenon of 7-0n-7.

The wife of troubled Devil Ray Elijah Dukes makes some very strong accusations in the couple’s divorce proceedings.

Duke football turns to the university’s business school for help with program.

The Baltimore Sun’s Rick Maese thinks Beckham’s arrival will have little effect on the perception of the MLS stateside.

A Virginia Tech golfer uses tragedy as motivation to win British Amateur.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association has no plans to test the state’s high school athletes for steroids. I think this is a huge mistake. As someone who played high school football in the state of Indiana I can tell you that some kids are looking for anyway to get a competitive advantage and get noticed by college scouts. What you don’t want is kids taking these easy-to-get OTC supplements and playing drugstore cowboy and taking whatever they want, however they want. It’s a shame that the state has opted not to join Florida, New Jersey and Texas on the forefront of this issue.

The State (Columbia, S.C.) looks at the effect the Confederate flag has on the state’s athletes.

Former Houston Oilers remember their first training camp in Nashville.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Tony Barnhart says Arkansas has the SEC’s easiest schedule.

LeBron James will host the season premiere of Saturday Night Live in the fall.

ESPN’s Steve Davis says the competition in the MLS is tougher than most people think.

USAToday’s takes a pre-season look at the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Boston Globe’s Peter May is not too impressed with the Magic signing forward Rashard Lewis.

The Worldwide Leader’s Gene Wojciechowski talks about the Beckham press conference last Friday.

Former Worldwide Leader talking head, and one of the Bottom Line’s most self-important people in sports, Dan Patrick to be brought to you in every way, shape and form.

The NFL has officially lost it.

Minnesota coach Tim Brewster has dismissed four Golden Gophers from the team in connection to an ongoing sexual assault case. Hmm, no one’s been convicted but the coach still had the integrity to kick them off the team. Getting any ideas, Arthur Blank?

Gary Player says there is steroid use in golf.

Cell phones have been banned from this year’s British Open.

CBS Sportsline’s Mike Freeman ranks the top 10 dirtiest college football programs.

Minnesota Wild goon Derek Boogaard teaches little kids how to properly throw down on the ice. What a complete moron this guy is. Any parent of a young hockey player with a functioning brain wouldn’t think of taking their kids to this stupid thing.

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Well-rounded news…

The last installment of the Harry Potter series hits eyeballs a week early.

You might want to re-think taking that homemade iPod charger through airport security.

Wired’s Epicenter blog wonders if Digg will shut down posts and comments with the address to the pirated copy of the last Harry Potter book.

iPhones shut down Duke University wi-fi.

The New York Daily News’ Jack Mathews lists his favorite flicks of ‘07 so far.

A nice look at VH1’s weekly skankfest “Rock of Love.”

Tim Russert would love to have Bruce Springteen on “Meet the Press”.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is saying there are no Facebook IPO plans — yet.

Zach Braff and creator Bill Lawrence has confirmed that this will be the last season of Bottom Line fave ‘Scrubs’.

Fox’s ‘House’ is getting some new blood for season four.

I’ll get to my usual list of stories that I think are cool and noteworthy but first this. One of my weekly rituals at work is checking the iTunes music store for anything that might strike my fancy. Usually, I’m in the market for exclusive live recordings from some of my favorite bands or other equally cool things but today I saw something that just goes above and beyond stupid. For just $11.99, you can pre-order your very own copy of the Live Earth performances. When you order your copy today, you get the live recording of John Mayer’s Waiting on the World to Change (I’m a self-professed Mayer fan, recovering Mayer addict but if I hear that song again, I’m going to hurt someone). But here’s the thing, there are 13 tracks … and you have no idea what they are when you throw down 12 of your hard-earned schekles to pre-order this compilation. But it gets better, when can you expect to see the CD that you pre-ordered? “Later this summer,” according to the description on the iTunes store. Unreal, so you have no idea what’s on it and you have no idea when it’s going to come out but you want me to buy it because with it, I can download the only song I know for a fact is on the record but it’s a song that I hate with such passion that for the three and a half minutes that song’s on the radio I wish I were deaf. No, thanks. Do the organizers of this concert really have that little respect for the people they’re trying to reach? I mean, really. Unbelievable.

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No, seriously…

A juror in England is being charged with contempt of court after it was discovered that she was listening to her MP3 player during a murder trial.

A Cape Cod man told a judge that he was a homophobic racist with a propensity for telling lies in an attempt to avoid jury duty.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen dished out $12 million for a 40-foot yellow submarine.

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A pretty solid piece in the San Diego Union-Tribune on the decline of the sports trading card industry.

Ex-Purdue QB Brandon Kirsch wishes he had stayed at Purdue instead of acting like a petulant child and stupidly declaring early for the NFL draft. The reality is that there was a reason why Kirsch played behind Kyle Orton and why he was replaced in his junior year by redshirt freshman Curtis Painter — he’s not a very good quarterback.

The New York Daily News looks at which team is likely to land A-Rod when he opts out of his contract with the Yankees at the end of this season. What?! The Pirates didn’t make this list?! Come on.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist and resident screamer on Around the Horn Jay Marriotti volunteers himself for a ruthless beating in his column today.

Michael Jordan’s son, Jeff, becomes college basketball’s most celebrated walk-on.

Interesting story in the Dallas Morning News about former Nevada forward and Dallas Maverick Nick Fazekas.

Former Iowa guard Pierre Pierce is out of prison and back on the basketball court. I think that one of the lines in this story perfectly summarizes why people like Pacman Jones and Tank Johnson continue to find themselves on pro rosters. “He is here at the invitation of the Warriors, who are intrigued enough by his potential — and undeterred by his past — to offer a summer-league spot…” This guy has been twice convicted of charges related to sexual assault and just served an 11-month prison sentence. The people of the Bay Area should be vocal and make sure this guy doesn’t make the roster and represent their community.

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Well-rounded news…

Will there be an iPhone nano?

I’m tired of hearing about The Simpsons Movie but you can vote on just which Springfield is the real Springfield.

Head of EA says video games need to be more innovative.

Good piece in Newsweek on Digg founder Kevin Rose.

The heat of summer is hurting consumers at the pump in more ways than one.

Chicago film critics are not happy that Fox is trying to control press on their films by limiting press screenings.

The Kings of Leon are apparently at odds about drummer Nathan Followill getting married.

Bloc Party will be heading to North America for a tour this fall. Luckily for my girlfriend (who unabashedly hates Bloc Party), the band will not be playing Atlanta.

The Beverly Hills mansion of William Randolph Hearst can be yours for $165 million.

Spike Lee is saying he is not a part of ‘mainstream’ Hollywood.

More on J.J. Abrams’ mystery project.

After a Fourth of July that included Camille’s margerhita pizza, a two-hour nap and a couple episodes of A&E’s “The First 48,” I’ve returned to my outpost on Airport Road.

I’m thinking this is going to be the format of the blog for a little while. I’ll include a mini-take and then the daily line of links and stories on my news reader that I find of interest — at least until it becomes logical to talk about college or pro football.

This is just a note to the Worldwide Leader, competitive eating is not a sport in any way, shape or form. I find it anatomically impressive that Joey Chestnut can shove 66 hot dogs in his face but I do not and will never consider that to be an athletic feat. Oh and another thing, this “bracket” of who’s the most popular athlete is a ridiculous and pointless exercise. Does anyone really care if LT is more popular than David Beckham? Or if Dwyane Wade is more “now” than Shaun White?

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No, seriously…

Al Gore’s son was jailed on drug possession charges yesterday in California. What’s notable about this story isn’t that it involves Al Gore or drugs but that police clocked Albert Gore III going 100 MPH in his Toyota Prius. I didn’t even know you could get a Prius up to 100. I wonder if the cops pulled him over just to ask him how he did it.

Someone caught a piranha last week in North Carolina.

‘08 presidential hopeful John Edwards paid $1,250 in Atlanta for a haircut before the 2004 election.

Chinese villagers have been eating and sell prehistoric dinosaur bones.

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The Worldwide Leader’s Gene Wojciechowski tries to understand why David Beckham’s U.S. debut on the July 13 is such a big deal.

LSU coach Les Miles slurps the greatness of the SEC and rips the Pac-10, specifically USC. I would looooove to see a USC/LSU bowl game this year.

The NFL has officially lost it. The Associated Press is reporting that the league is only going to let news organizations post 45 seconds of game footage online per day.

The Maryland State Youth Soccer Association is taking a stand against out of control coaches.

The Buffalo News’ Allen Wilson believes Sabres fans will get over their frustration over the recent departure of co-captains Daniel Briere and Chris Drury.

The Detroit Free-Press examines what you can do with your $600 besides spending it on an iPhone.

Chauncey Billups’ agent calls a report that his client signed a five-year deal with the Pistons, “a vicious rumor.” The language used seems a bit dramatic but then again the Chick Fil-A chicken nuggets I had at lunch today were a culinary masterpiece the likes of which have never been achieved in the history of food.

Thanks for the memories. Grant Hill has bolted Orlando for the Phoenix Suns.

Father of Tulsa quarterback calls Mahlzan’s offense, “recess.” But in a good way?

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Well-rounded news…

A fight is brewing between college presidents and U.S. News and World Report.

• An editoral in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Newsweek’s Robert Samuelson says the presidents are trying to censor U.S. News and World Report.

Techblog Valleywag on how to be a better “friend” on social networking sites.

Entertainment Weekly gives mid-term grades to the PS3, Wii and XBOX 360.

Time’s Richard Schickel takes a look at Werner Herzog’s Vietnam flick “Rescue Dawn.” 

J.J. Abrams “mystery” project.

Newsweek takes a look at the implications of Universal Music Group’s public spat with Apple’s iTunes Music Store.

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Inside Baseball..

Will staff cuts at major newspapers around the country mean a return to the kind of journalism of the 70s? 

An unexpected head cold knocked me out this weekend and sent me to my couch to watch all three “EPIC-sodes” of MTV’s Made this weekend.. so no review of Ratatouille today but I’ve learned that apparently the lead singer of Yellowcard is considered a “superstar” by some.

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Apple Fanboy News..

Wired’s Cult of Mac blog spent the weekend performing an autopsy on the iPhone.

Tech blog CrunchGear is reporting that Apple will roll out MacBooks with “iPhone-like multi-touch functionality built into the touchpad later this year.” Is Steve Jobs squashing his beef with tablet computers?

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columist Bob Smizik believes Pirates fans should continue to criticize management despite the way Saturday’s walk-out kind of fizzled out.

The Knicks are hoping Zach Randolph can steady his “up and down life.” New York City is the perfect place for that, don’t you think?

Browns center LeCharles Bentley says he’ll be ready to go for training camp this year after a knee injury caused him to miss all of last season and threatened his career.

John Feinstein labels July “the worst month in sports.”

Madden 08 and NCAA Football 08 runs better on the XBOX 360 than on Sony’s PS3.

Four magazines that cover the NFL, including Athlon Sports and The Sporting News have picked the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl.

Seriously, fire Larry Bird. Their lone draft pick is expected to remain in Europe for the next three years.

The Orlando Sentinel’s David Whitley says Grant Hill owes it to the Orlando Magic to stick by the franchise that stuck by him.

The Houston Rockets are also courting free agent forward Rashard Lewis. Who would you want to play with Dwight Howard or all-around good guy and team player Tracy McGrady? Decisions, decisions.

Warriors fans are seriously bummed about the departure of Jason Richardson.

Newsweek’s Mark Starr wonders what happened to summer sports.

If you haven’t been there, the Portland Trailblazers website is amazing.. www.nba.com/blazers …

The Worldwide Leader Pat Forde picks up some college football preview mags.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Ted Miller wonders if there isn’t more to the sudden resignation of Mariners manager Mike Hargrove than meetings the eye.

 ranks the NFL owners 1-32. Dan Synder is a top-five owner.. No, seriously..

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Well-rounded news..

Universal Music Group is going to inform Apple that it will not renew the deal the company has with Apple’s iTunes music store.

An early review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

The Chicago Tribune’s Julia Keller debates the “Great American Novel.”

A woman works at Los Alamos has admitted to using U.S. Government computers to stalk Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington. There was a fantastic story on this in last month’s Wired Magazine.

A British research group has determined that 68 percent of people who attend rock shows experience some kind of hearing loss afterwards. Earplugs people, they look lame but they could save your hearing.

New York Magazine is beginning to question its allegiance to “Entourage.” One of the questions The Daily Intelligencer poses is whether or not the show has always “been this obnoxious.” The answer to that question is yes. I hate, hate, hate, hate Entourage. With shows like Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Deadwood, HBO has come to be known for its outstanding original programming. HBO is a Fox show that happens to air on HBO. There’s nothing clever about the series and none of the characters have ANY redeeming qualities.

The iPhone 

All day and basically all week, I’ve been reading stories about these dopes who’ve camped out for tonight’s 6 p.m. release of Apple’s iPhone.

I think I’m an Apple TV away from being a certified Apple fanboy. I have an iPod, a Macbook, an Airport and I’ve even convinced my girlfriend to buy a Mac recently.  I even use a Mac Mini at work. But I’m not falling for this.

Apple has always been really good at re-inventing whatever they put their name on. Believe it or not, there were MP3 players before the iPod, now 3 of every 4 MP3 players sold is an iPod. And then they introduce the iPhone and you’d think that no one had ever seen a cell phone in their life.

The reason I’m not getting an iPhone isn’t because I see through Apple’s genius marketing and eye-catching packaging. No, I clearly do not see through those things. The reason I’m not buying an iPhone is that I need the cell phone in my pocket to do one thing and one thing only and that’s make phone calls.

I don’t need my cell phone to browse the internet with Safari (which I hate as a browser) or play MP3’s or hold pictures, I simply need to be able to dial numbers into it and get someone on the other end. That’s it.

I wish those who purchase the iPhone tonight the best of luck with the bugs and other glitches that always accompany the first run of a piece of hardware (just ask those who bought the first 360s).

I love Apple but I’ll pass on the iPhone.