__________

No, seriously…

Is that a monkey under your hat or are you just happy to see me?

__________

ESPN’s Pat Forde says quarterbacks have a lot to prove in ‘07.

Washington Post piece on Indiana football as they begin practice after the death of Coach Hep.

Brady Quinn finally signs with the Browns.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach looks at what’s hot and what’s not in 2007.

Fanhouse sizes up the Big 12

• Impact freshmen
• Key position battles
• Five best players
• Most underrated players
• Most overrated players

Fanhouse lists SEC’s five best players not named McFadden.
Marshawn Lynch has been impressive so far at Bills camp.

Larry Bird and Jermaine O’Neal claim they’re on the same page.

Michigan State’s starting quarterback thinks the Spartans will be way better than .500 this year.

Tennessee’s leading rusher has been suspended indefinitely.

Braves legend Dale Murphy says Barry Bonds is a terrible example for kids.

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer might be a little crazy.

Danica Patrick snipes at Dan Wheldon… again. Danica, just win a race. Just one and then maybe the rest of the sports world will take you seriously. Until then, Wheldon’s assessment of your ridiculous temper tantrums seem pretty spot on.  

Some in Niners camp are worried second-year tight end (and draft day weeper) Vernon Davis is becoming the second-coming of T.O.

Reggie Miller is considering a comeback… with the Boston Celtics. As a Pacer fan, I was happy to see Reggie go when he did. He couldn’t play defefnse, was inconsistent from beyond the arc and was a shell of the player he was in his prime when he finally called it quits. But if I were in the building when Reg makes his return to Indy, I’d boo him out of the building. What about a little loyalty for a fanbase that stood by you and worshipped you when you stank on ice? And now you’re going to comeback for one last grab at a ring and you think the Celts have the best chance of taking you there with Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce? Shameless.

__________

Well-rounded news…

Rosario Dawson has opted out of a role written for her by Kevin Smith.

Coming soon to a theatre near you.. a Meerkat Manor movie?

Could Kristen Bell be joining the cast of Lost?

VH1 is streaming the new Matt Nathanson record, ‘Some Mad Hope‘

Slate Magazine reviews the new Scott Baio reality show, which I enjoy without shame.

The editor of the page one editor Orange County Register is awesome.

Forbes looks at the top ten cities for foodies.

An update on the Newseum in Washington, DC.

Kevin Smith to direct a Super Max movie.

Another J.J. Abrams mystery project? How much more J.J. Abrams-related mystery is one person expected to handle? 

Project Runway season 1 winner fires back at New York Magazine article, particularly the part about him being homeless.

Entertainment Weekly catalogs the best movie endings of all-time.

EW’s Lost expert Doc Jensen dismisses some Lost rumors and myths in the show’s post-season 3 hiatus.

Ohio State University wants its students to rat on each other.

___________

No, seriously…

Cops in Bangkok love Hello Kitty…

A man in Denver tries to rob a library.

__________

The Indiana Daily Student says tight end Blake Powers’ arrest for accidentally throwing a water balloon at an off-duty cop is indicative of a large problem. I think it’s a slow summer and they’re over-reacting.

Steve Spurrier is really not that stoked about South Carolina’s admission process.

Jamarcus Russell’s holdout to go into September? It’s hard not to be reminded of what happened with Philip Rivers in. He held out, missed a bunch of camp and Drew Brees came in and revamped his career. Could the same thing happen with Daunte Culpepper?

Sports Illustrated’s Peter King checks in from training camp.

Jermaine O’Neal wants to be dealt to the Lakers. As a Pacer fan, I think J.O. is a complete malcontent and hasn’t shown up to play for the Pacers in at least two seasons. If the Pacers can get value for him (which I don’t think they can — Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom is not going to cut it) then they should deal him.

The Fanhouse has begun its SEC preview. Good stuff.

• The underdogs.
• The toughest schedules.
• The conference’s most overrated players.
• Coaches on the hot seat.
• Biggest shoes to fill.
• Position battles.
• Five impact freshmen.

Slate magazine wonders what it would be like if all the major sports allowed doping.

New York’s ten best interviews in sports.

The Indianapolis Star’s Terry Hutchens on the Hoosiers first day of football practice.

The Detroit Free Press on what to watch this year from Michigan/Michigan State.

Matt Flynn is ready to go as LSU quarterback.

Will highly touted Tennessee freshmen cornerback Eric Berry also see time at QB?

There is no question that Georgia will only go as far as Matthew Stafford can take them.

Freshmen looking to make a difference for Gators.

Texas rookie Amobi Okoye on his childhood in Nigeria.

__________

Well rounded news….

New York Magazine on being a Bravo reality star.

Some really amazing fan-made posters for the new J.J. Abrams project, whatever the name of that is.

Steve Jobs IMs the Times?

The San Fransisco Chronicle’s Mick LaSalle asks who is the greatest living director?

Tom Hanks to star in Farenheit 451?

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s 2007 songs of summer.

____________

No, seriously…

Pittsburgh hospital takes a stand against crocs.

AMC doesn’t carry nickels?

Apparently life is tough when you share a name with a boy wizard.

___________

Is this the last year for D-Nabb in Philly?

McNabb appears to be showing promise early in training camp.

The Ocho Cinco has some money set aside for fines.

More of the Fanhouses Big Ten preview:

• Most overrated players
• Coaches on the hot seat
• Key position battles
• The five best players
• The underdogs
• Toughest schedules

Penn State QB Anthony Morelli is confident but is he overconfident?

Virginia Tech hopes football season will mark a return to normalcy.

Joe Theismann says he urged Tony Kornheiser to stick with Monday Night Football.

Eagles fans crash Cowboys training camp.

The Colts are parting ways with defensive tackle Corey Simon.

Pro d-backs put Indiana wideout James Hardy through his paces.

‘Browns insider’ says Brady Quinn’s agent is the reason rookie QB isn’t in camp yet.

Wolverine players tell Jim Harbaugh where to go over academic criticisms.

SI’s Peter King says Brady Quinn is a fool for not being in camp.

What a dope Michael Strahan is.

Joe Paterno considers staying in the press box. Consider this — retire.

Wilbon on the death of Bill Walsh.

IU to pay tribute to Coach Hep on uniforms, helmets.

Big Ten commish Jim Delaney proving once more that he really is a complete idiot.

UCF is loving their new digs.

Baton Rouge Advocate talks some LSU football.

Vince Young proves that his low Wunderlich score wasn’t a fluke; punches teammate’s helmet with throwing hand.  The Tennessean.

Tech group files complaints against sports leagues over fair use.

Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio expects the Spartans to be bowl bound in ‘07.

A nice story on the rise of Michigan true quarterback Ryan Mallett. Expect to see Mallett some playing time this season in mop-up duty. In time, I firmly believe Mallett will prove to be a much better quarterback than his rival Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen. 

The State (Columbia, S.C.) ranks the SEC quarterbacks.

The AJC’s Tony Barnhart ranks the SEC best running backs.

The NFL to produce a Vince Lombardi biopic.
__________

Well-rounded news…

The University of Iowa could become the first university to name one of its colleges after a corporation following a $15 million gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Disney has pulled the plug on its plans for a ‘Ratatouille’ wine.

Two-a-days are becoming a thing of the past in the NFL.

Even investment bankers love them some Facebook.

Blogger thinks new Bourne film is an attack on the Bush administration.

Wyclef says Lauryn Hill is the reason there hasn’t been a Fugees reunion.

Halo 3 to feature online multi-player co-op.

Tech blog Valleywag urges Facebook to stop counting its money and fix the site.

First season of Heroes to come out on DVD later this month. YES!

John Mayer, Dave Matthews and Nas set to play gig at Virginia Tech in September.

Cinematical reviews The Bourne Ultimatum, which I am excited beyond words to see tomorrow night.  Another review from Time Magazine.

Robert Downey, Jr. talks about playing Iron Man.

Rumors swirl over the title of J.J. Abrams’ new project. Some production stills from the set.

The Detroit Free Press interview Cold War Kids frontman Nathan Willett.

Not everyone was a fan of Rocco Dispirito’s cameo on Top Chef last night.

Entertainment Weekly wants to know who you like more: Bond or Bourne?

American Airlines will test in-flight broadband next year.

In more exciting news, my hometown,Terre Haute, Ind., totally got a shout-out during Tony Dungy’s appearance on Letterman last night to plug his new book.

__________

No, seriously…

A 16-year-old drove his truck to an island in the middle of a shallow Pennsylvania river and couldn’t get back.

Inmates split on Woody Allen.

__________

Eagles corner Sheldon Brown says leveling Reggie Bush in the playoffs last year was like running through a cardboard box.

New Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is already putting the team through the ringer.

What is Brady Quinn thinking? I think on draft day, everybody was kind of pulling for the guy to get drafted because of the embarrassment he caused himself by showing up to the draft without knowing where he would go or how far he’d fall. And now he has grossly overestimated his value and is pissing off an entire city that wants to embrace him. Cleveland wants to love Brady Quinn. He needs to quit acting like a petulant child and get to camp. What a dope.

You can still chew snuff at Tennessee football games but Neyland Stadium will now be smoke-free .

Bobby Petrino trying to keep the Falcons focused on the game on the field. Good luck.

LSU senior tailback Alley Broussard is leaving the team.

Matt Leinart’s legal battle with his ex-girlfriend Brynn Cameron could get very public and very messy.

Cotton Bowl executives are lobbying to make the Dallas-based bowl a BCS bowl.

SI’s Stewart Mandel on how the Michael Vick scandal has effected Virginia Tech.

Eagles draftee Kevin Kolb signs with the team. I was so hoping for a holdout.

Boise State running back (and publicity hound) Ian Johnson has hired extra security for his weekend wedding following racist threats.

___________

Well-rounded news…

USAToday profiles fanboys.

Naomi Watt, Stuart Townsend and Joseph Fiennes have all been cast for roles in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Not so fast.

Blockbuster may be losing money but it’s beating Netflix, says BusinessWeek.

Facebook founder finds himself in court; being sued by former colleagues.

Though relatively small companies, XM and Sirius merger is huge for the future of satellite radio, says Washington Post.

Has the mystery behind J.J. Abrams’ “mystery” project been solved?

How a movie poster got me totally excited for a Western.

The cover of Bottom Line fav. Kanye West’s new album, Graduation.

Blender’s top 25 most influential people in online music.

The Huffington Post’s Eric Williams thinks a Seth Rogan-led Green Hornet movie, or any Green Hornet movie, is a bad idea.

__________

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.

__________

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.

__________

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.