"A friend of mine said this was like the Cincinnati Bengals playing the San Diego Chargers at Hooters."
- WALLY HOPKINS, on the XFL's brand of football.

Speaking of the Bungles, they have made Corey Dillon a "transition player" which means that once the Bungles make a qualifying offer, they then get the right to match any offer that he might get from some other team. I wonder if the rules allow them to go to another team that has signed Dillon and ask that team for some compensation in return for the Bungles not exercising that right?

Two more CBA teams have joined the IBL. Somehow these leagues are blending their schedules and their seasons. Last night the Sioux Falls Skyforce and the Gary Steelheads met in their first IBL game. The Rockford Lightning is also joining the IBL. How would you like the job of being the "beat reporter" for one of those teams? First of all, you are mired in a job in a journalistic backwater and then you get to travel to all these "garden spots".

Today is a day where news items involve people with unusual names. In Europe, the new European Union has declared that the player transfers between soccer teams and soccer leagues is illegal. Ownership and players are scheduled to meet with the political folks. But - hold your breath here - owners and players don't agree on what the system ought to be. Who is the head of FIFA (the body that governs the world of soccer)? His name is Sepp Blatter. That sounds like a condition that can be treated by any of a dozen antibiotics.

There is a basketball player named Brett Blizzard. Did this kid have the foresight to go to the University of Minnesota or someplace like that where he might get an avalanche of publicity based on his name? Nope. He decided to go to UNC-Wilmington. This is a venue for hurricanes finding landfall but not blizzards.

Drew College named someone as their assistant lacrosse coach. Fortunately, he is not the assistant basketball coach who supervises free throw shooting because his name is Matt Klank.

Phillies' pitcher, Robert Person, signed a $3M contract a couple of days ago and was obviously anxious to get down to business because he was in Tampa a couple of days before training camp opened in Clearwater - which is just up the road a short piece. Unfortunately, he got into a fight with some guy and when the police arrived and told him to move along he refused and so he got arrested. But Robert was obviously so intent on getting to training camp to begin his preparation for the season that he kicked out the windows of the police car after he had been cuffed and seated in the rear. With this level of intensity and focus, I look for big things out of Robert this season.

The Vancouver Grizzlies are going to be moving out. After the owner talked to the commish, the skids are greased. The problem I have is that the Grizzlies are supposed to lose $45M this season and that is their justification for moving; but about 3 months ago, this same owner said that even if every seat was full for every game and even if the community was totally involved, he would lose money. So why the hell did he pay $160M to buy into a deal where it was impossible to make money? Potential cities for relocation are Nashville, St. Louis and New Orleans. Imagine if they go to New Orleans for a moment. You will have the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Grizzlies. What's wrong with that picture?

NASCAR has fined one of the crew chiefs $10K and has suspended him for four weeks for "not meeting height specifications during qualifying" (for the Daytona 500). I know that amusement parks have these rules that say you have to be "this tall to ride on this roller coaster", but I did not know that you had height restrictions for crews in NASCAR. Or did he have someone on the crew who was too tall? Has Gheorge Muresan taken up a new career - after his acting career crashed and burned in one movie?

I think I figured out why UCLA has been so miserable on defense for the last couple of years. They just moved their defensive coordinator to the position of quarterbacks coach.

Finally, from the agate type:

Ferris St. 84
Grand Valley St. 81

But don't get me wrong, I love sports...