'Run'ning Out of Gas

No, not Chris Webber. Me. I think I'm coming down with something, probably because I've been running to and fro with little rest. Quickly so I can get some rest:

1. A reader sent me an article discussing allegations involving the Howard University men's soccer coach who was allegedly caught soliciting a 13-year old (undercover officer) on the Internet. I hope this isn't true, but he has been suspended without pay pending the investigation. The coach is in his first year. Not the way you want your tenure to begin.

2. Shout out to the young woman of Asian descent who I saw lugging her hockey equipment through the airport with a woman who appeared to be her mother. Breaking the conventions. You go, girl!

3. The Oregon University AD apologized for how his school's fans booed Kevin Love when he returned there during UCLA's game versus the Ducks. Quack kills.

4. Just to add some perspective to the Boston Celtic's one point escape over the Minnesota Timberwolves, that would have been the Celtic's 8th loss of the season . . . and the T-Wolves 8th win. And the season is almost halfway over. Ick.

5. C Webb, pictured above, is back with the Golden State Warriors, the team who acquired him in a draft day trade with the Orlando Magic in 1993, and traded him to the then-Washington Bullets after a year. C Webb will also be reunited with coach Don Nelson, with whom C Webb did not often see eye to eye. Now that's what I call coming back full circle.

And what I call a great place to end. I'm praying that I'm just tired and not coming down with the flu . . . although that would give me more time to write.

Four for Four . . .

I warned you yesterday that today was going to be a long day, and it was, and the result is a rundown. I might stop giving an intro after this one . . .

1. The Miami Heat lost its 15th game in a row, this one to the San Antonio Spurs. By one point. Yep, it's still an L. They haven't won in over a month, and their coming schedule isn't getting any easier with their next six games including the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, and Detroit Pistons. These are all good teams who will probably beat up on the Heat unless they figure out a way to get out of this mess. This has sped past ridiculous and is now in the territory of busting apart at the seams.

2. Kelly Tilghman returned to the air and gave an apology. Rehearsed but pretty good. She has learned her lesson, and hopefully people will start thinking before they speak. She is lucky to still have her job in the post-Imus era, so hopefully this is the last out of line thing we hear from her. I won't hold my breath, though.

3. I love (no pun intended) how Oregon still hates Kevin Love so much for going to UCLA to play baskebtall that they boo him when he comes home. Yes, they booed when his name was announced in the starting line up in Thursday night's game against the Oregon Ducks. I know that the kid said he was prepared for it, but all the preparation in the world won't take away the sting of hearing your hometown boo you. If it had been just a few booes, then fine, but it sounded like the entire arena. Come on, people, grow up. How many NCAA basketball championships does Oregon have again?

4. I saw this article discussing a "caddy snack" and was curious as to what was meant by that. I'll give you 10 guesses, I don't think you would come close. What happened? Two caddies in Hawaii stole and ate a man's dog for whom they were caddying. A German shepherd puppy. Would that happen on the mainland U.S.? We have some sick people here but that might be too brazen even for us. The fact that it was two people makes it even more crazy. I've heard of puppy chow, but this crosses the line.

5. World #2 Rafael Nadal was summarily swept out of the semifinals of the Australian Open by France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Some may call this an upset but real tennis fans know that "Rafa's" ranking is artificially inflated because of his awesomeness on clay. Now he's definitely a great player, and has notched some wins on other surfaces, but he is not the #2 player in the world on the hard courts like the ones they are playing on now. Great win for Tsonga though, catapulting him into his first ever Grand Slam final where he will meet the winner of the other semi between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Djokovic has the goods, but this is Fed in a slam so my money is with him. Either way, Tsonga has his work cut out for him, but kudos are in order for just making the final. On ESPN, they said Tsonga (pictured above) resembles Muhammad Ali. They also said he has a head the size of a turkey. So are they implying that Ali's head is the size of a turkey? Or is that a faulty syllogism?

This Duck is Quacking Up

You may have seen this one already, but I thought I'd profile a less friendly mascot encounter than this one from yesterday.

The University of Oregon Duck claims the University of Houston Cougar stole his signature moves. The Duck has been suspended. I can see why he could be mad, though. It is unseasonably warm these days, and the heat was probably getting to his head, real and fake, literally and figuratively.

Did he think that because nobody could see his face that it was OK to assault another man or woman, who's still a man or woman even though s/he's in a cougar suit? Whatever the gender of the person in the suit, Shasta, the Houston Cougar, is a female cougar mascot. No word on whether the Oregon Duck stole any of the Cougars moves and tried to seduce any of the players following the game.