The Matt Kemp Bobblehead Is Coming Soon

The Dodgers are rolling out a new promotional campaign for the upcoming release of the Matt Kemp bobblehead doll. Check it out.

Tiger Got Yanged

I realize we have become so accustomed to Tiger Woods winning golf tournaments--especially ones in which he is leading on Sunday--that when he actually fails to close it out, it's so easy to assume that Tiger lost as opposed to him getting beat. Sunday, he got beat. Plain and simple.

It seems as though sports fans, as well as sports media, love to throw out the word "choke" anytime a player or team of high profile loses--particularly in upset fashion. Do some people really get more satisfaction out of someone losing versus someone excelling?

I'm sorry, but I just don't roll like that. I love a good story, and Y.E. Yang may be the best story of this golf season. Tiger didn't give him the PGA Championship. Yang took it!

On a day when only 10 players broke par, Yang shot the best score of the day. Down the stretch of a major championship, Yang went eagle, par, par, bogey, birdie. Under the most immense pressure of the tournament, Yang brushed that pressure off his shoulders like a pimp in a vice squad raid. The playa made plays.

As far as Tiger choking goes, child please! He shot 75 in the final round, not 82. It wasn't like he was spraying the ball all over the course, he just didn't make any putts.
　
"I hit the ball great off the tee, hit my irons well," said Tiger. "I did everything I needed to do except for getting the ball in the hole."

So ease up on the choke talk when discussing this year's PGA Championship. Greg Norman choked in the 1996 Masters. Jean van de Velde choked at the 1999 Open Championship. Phil Mickelson choked at the 2006 U.S. Open.

Tiger didn't choke at the 2009 PGA Championship. He simply got Yanged!

Usain Bolts To Another World Record

Did you see what Usain Bolt once again did to the best sprinters in the world? He didn't just beat the fastest runners on the planet. He didn't just set another world record. He dusted the field--with ease!



This cat is seriously ridiculous. Every time I see him run, I fall shorter and shorter of the words to accurately describe him.

So I will defer to my boy Marcus Osborne.

"How do you run run a 9.71 in the 100 meters and STILL not only lose the race, but get SMOKED? This guy is a video game!"

SECOND ANNUAL THINKCURE! "RADIOTELEWEBETHON" BEGINS NEXT FRIDAY

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced that the second annual ThinkCure! Radiotelewebethon will take place from Aug. 21-22 on KABC 790 AM, PRIME TICKET, KCAL 9, 95.5 KLOS FM, and www.thinkcure.org to promote awareness and raise funds for cancer research. Fans can make donations to the Dodgers’ official charity online at thinkcure.org, by calling (866) 554-CURE.

Last season, the inaugural radio telethon raised more than $165,000 for ThinkCure!, an innovative, community-based non-profit that accelerates collaborative research to cure cancers.

“ThinkCure! is dedicated to making a difference in the fight against cancer and last year, we started to show what was possible with an annual event like this,” said ThinkCure! President Janet Clayton. “We’ll offer ways in every medium – radio, television and online – for the community to come together and participate in our common fight against cancer. We’ll also have special opportunities for fans who attend those two games on August 21 and 22. It’s all about doing good while have fun doing it. We know that this event will just get bigger and better every year.”

Last month, ThinkCure! awarded $600,000 in grants for research at City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. The one-year grants support research in the development of new therapies to treat brain tumors, gene therapy for lymphoma, and a vaccine for leukemia. The grants were the first research-specific grants awarded by ThinkCure!.

For the 2009 Radiotelewebethon, a new element has been added, as thinkcure.org will stream the names of contributors and amounts raised in real time, along with other video content, beginning on Aug. 21 at 5 a.m.

For the second consecutive year, fans will be able to bid online at www.dodgers.com for autographed memorabilia and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will help raise money for ThinkCure!. The online auction begins on Monday, Aug. 17 and will run through Monday, Aug. 24.

Once again, the Think Blue sign that can be seen in the hills beyond left field and has become one of the signature identification points of Dodger Stadium will be changed to read “ThinkCure” in honor of the Radiotelewebethon and the official ThinkCure! logo will be painted onto the field in foul territory at Dodger Stadium.

Last season, one of the more memorable moments of the year came during the pregame ceremonies on Aug. 16 when nine children and 25 doctors from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and City of Hope were honored on the field. The team of doctors came in through the center field gates and walked to the pitcher’s mound, where they threw ceremonial first pitches to the entire Dodger team.

ThinkCure! was launched in July 2007 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the McCourt family, City of Hope, and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

Goddell Wants Vick To Be Success Story

STATEMENT BY NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELLON THE SIGNING OF MICHAEL VICK BY THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

"I have said several times in recent weeks that I want Michael to be one of the NFL's success stories as an individual and as a football player. I believe he can accomplish both goals with the Eagles organization which has done an outstanding job in the community and on the field these last 15 years under the direction of owner Jeffrey Lurie. I know the Eagles will provide strong support but, ultimately, Michael’s success is up to him and the decisions he makes."

Jason Whitlock Waxes Poetic On Pussy Galore

If you are not a frequent reader of Jason Whitlock on foxsports.com, you should be. He may be the most polarizing, controversial and truthful sports columnist in the country today.

I often disagree with his opinions, but I usually always understand where he is coming from. Plus, I do find myself agreeing with him at times as well.

Does he take things too far sometimes? Yes. Does his approach sometimes defeat his agenda? Yes. But at least he's consistent with his criticisms of any and everybody, regardless of race, gender or athletic ability.

Today, Jason actually made me laugh with his column on Pussy Galore, a pseudonym for every woman who has led to some type of transgression by an athlete or coach.

Here's an excerpt:

She impeached a president and now, more impressively, she threatens to topple a highly successful college basketball coach.

As my mother would say, she's a bitch on a bicycle. Respect her and her power or risk experiencing her wrath.

Pitino should've coughed up the $10 million. His reputation will never recover.

How does a millionaire, married, middle-aged public figure have an unprotected one-night stand on the floor of a restaurant with a woman he's known for a couple of hours if her name isn't Beyonce, Gisele or Halle?

Monica Lewinsky, the White House and a Cuban cigar make more sense than Karen Sypher, a restaurant and an assistant coach playing peek-a-boo in an adjoining booth.

It sounds as if Jason's mom has a great sense of humor and perspective. I'm now on the lookout for bicycles everywhere!

Check out the full article here: Pitino Ran Into The Biggest Dynasty In Sports

Pitino Comes Up Way Short On Apology

I have known Rick Pitino since 1991 after first meeting him during the second semester of my freshman year at Kentucky. I will not profess to ever being very close to him, but having several friends on his teams, working his summer camps, and then covering the team on a professional basis, we were on a first-name basis during his time in Lexington.

I respected him as a basketball coach and motivator. I also admired the way he treated his players once they graduated. He always seemed to have their best interest in mind, provided of course, they stayed the course and did things his way.

Now having said that, I believe Coach P fell way short on his attempted apology Wednesday evening in Louisville.

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=9d9db8e9-e3f5-4b73-b529-d470c81dd8a0&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_articles" target="_new" title="Pitino: Sorry for &#39;indiscretion&#39;">Video: Pitino: Sorry for &#39;indiscretion&#39;</a>

Instead of throwing himself at the mercy of the Cardinals fans and the local community, Pitino seemed to give the impression that because this event happened six years ago, it wasn't a big deal. If it weren't a big deal, there wouldn't be a need for an apology, right?

And what exactly did 9/11 have to do with his affair? I am hoping the analogy he was trying to make didn't exactly come out right. Despite being one of the most confident and cocky men I have ever known, I am certain he was quite nervous standing in front of those microphones and cameras. The scene wasn't exactly a post-game news conference.

Again, I still believe this matter is a private one between the Pitino and Sypher families. However, if you are going to go public with your apology don't half-ass by trying to deflect blame or looking for excuses.

Cubs Fan Gives All Fans A Bad Name

By now, you've probably seen the video of that stupid Cubs fan who doused Shane Victorino with a beer while the Phillies outfielder was catching a fly ball. There are so many adjectives one could use to describe this dumb, dangerous, cowardly act, and all of them may fall short of accurately describing this moron.

It is acts such as these that eventually give all fans a bad name. You wonder why athletes ignore your shouts of their name or seem standoffish when you approach them in public? It could be because they have experienced boorish behavior firsthand. Wouldn't that give you pause the next time you encounter an overzealous fan?

The thing that really irks me about this particular incident is that security got the wrong guy. Check out the video below. Pause it at the :20 mark and notice the fan in the hat and white t-shirt with sunglasses hanging from his collar. That's the actual guy who threw the beer, not the fan about three seats down who security eventually escorted out of the stadium.



This scene reminds me of what happened at the Palace of Auburn Hills when Ron Artest got plunked with that empty beer cup. The guy Artest went after was not the actual guy who threw the cup.

Say what you will about retaliation through violence, but I dare you to find anyone who wouldn't want to pummel some cat who threw beer on them. I'm not advocating violence against these type of jerks, but as Chris Rock once said, I understand!

Pitino's Cat Is Finally Out Of The Bag

This past week at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Tampa, I moderated a panel discussion entitled, "Pros and Cons: Covering the Professional and Personal Lives of Athletes." The purpose of the panel was to examine the way the media report private aspects of the lives of today's athletes, as well as coaches. As you might imagine, the discussion was quite educational.

I bring up that panel discussion because of the news today out of Kentucky that Louisville head coach Rick Pitino allegedly paid $3000 to Karen Cunigan Sypher for an abortion, after an affair led to her pregnancy.

I first learned of this allegation back in April, but I did not see any reason in reporting this piece of news because I felt it was a private manner between the Pitino and Sypher families. (See: Is Anything Sacred Anymore)

I was criticized by some readers for not reporting what I knew, while others used my refusal to expose this allegation as an opportunity to cast dispersions on me as a journalist. If you do what I do long enough, you come to expect and accept such things. Some people are simply too passionate about their favorite teams and athletes to think logically and hold rational conversations, but that's cool. Passion is what makes sports so much fun to watch and cover.

I just hope in this instance, that passion doesn't lead to some fans losing decorum and tact when talking publicly about such a private matter. Don't be so quick to put your business on Front Street, if you don't want yours to be out there either.

John Wall Dunks Over Jerry Stackhouse

Jordan Crawford's dunk over LeBron James received way more attention for obvious reasons, but in terms of the actual dunk itself, Crawford's jam falls short of what UK recruit John Wall did recently to Jerry Stackhouse.

Now, I will give Stack a little bit of a pass: 1) He was coming over to help 2) He is way past his prime. But getting dunked on is getting dunked on.

As far as Wall is concerned, I heard that he played very well in that North Carolina summer league, and more importantly for UK fans, playing against current NBA ballers boosted Wall's confidence even higher--as if it even needed it!