Tech Player Quits Team After Benching by Knight -- Nick Valdez had not attended practice since he and Andre Emmett were benched for Monday's game against third-ranked Texas. They missed breakfast and a walkthrough meeting that morning.

Another Tiger Outburst -- Tiger is the best golfer in the world, hands down. He is maybe the best golfer to ever play the game (no offense Mr. Jones). As talented as he is Tiger Woods is also a world class jerk.
His latest episode is detailed by Bill Plaschke in the LA Times (registration required)

"The furor began when Woods, whose ball had been dancing awkwardly around the greens all afternoon, missed a six-foot birdie putt and began cursing loud enough to be heard in Brentwood backyards.
Then, while stroking through his ensuing four-foot par putt, Woods was startled by a cell phone blaring from a man's handbag.
He missed the putt. He blamed the man. He cursed again.
"Turn off the cell phone!" he shouted at the offender, pointing angrily. "Turn off the ... cell phone!"
It was not known whether the call was from someone wondering whether inferior equipment had caused Woods to blow the shot.
Whoever it was, they called right back, which infuriated Woods even more.
With the bag ringing and the crowd stunned silent, Woods glared at the man until crack Riviera security forces rushed in and confiscated the phone and carted away the owner.

The Story goes on to say that this one incident ruined his concentration for the REST OF THE AFTERNOON!!
That leads me to this ponderence....Mr. Woods, if a cell phone can ruin a round of golf....then why the hell are you a pro golfer?

Woods said only it's the sounds he doesn't expect that rattle him.
"This was right in my down-stroke," he said of the cell phone. "It was a very foreign sound, something you don't hear often on a golf course."

Other pros sometimes get rattled by outside sounds, and I will grant that cell phones on a golf course are an extreme annoyance. But I think that the best golfer in the world would put the issue behind him and handle it with a little more class.

Tiger’s tirades and post cell phone yips make him look less like the world’s best golfer, and more like the world’s best spoiled brat.

Falcons Overspend for Brooking -- I know Mr. Blank has the cash but the dirty birds now have a lot of cash tied up in Brooking, Kearney, Duckett, Dunn, and Vick. The latest hot rumor has them shipping off their first rounder to the Bills for Peerless "Franchise" Price. We shall see if that holds up.

Former Brave Talks About Leo's Doghouse -- Marlin Tim Spooneybarger (what kind of name is that anyway) says a blowout with Braves pitching Coah Leo "Rock Me Amadeus" Mazonne led to his ticket out of Atlanta. By the way, as a sidebar, the over unders in Vegas on the National League East contenders:
Braves - 99
Mets - 95
Phillies - 95
What do you think?

Since the Americans lost the America's Cup a few years back, very few stateside pay much attention to the expensive boat races. So far this Cup series has been a compelling (and deceivingly competitive) Cup Series. Full of side stories and enough drama to make the citizens of Oakdale take notice.
After winning the cup in 1995, Team New Zealand mounted a successful defense in 1999. Then the money man stepped up. Ernesto Bertarelli bought 6 members of Team New Zealand and formed the Swiss Syndicate Alinghi. The move caused an uproar among the sailing-crazy Kiwis, even sparking a theme and commercial video. The whole country feels betrayed by Skipper Russell Coutts and the rest of the defectors. But Alinghi has apparently struck gold, as the challenger now leads what many feel is a stronger Kiwi boat, three races to none. The races have all been close, with the exception of the first when the Kiwis had a ton of bad luck, and had to be towed to the end. No boat has won the Cup after being down 3-0. The TNZ boat has made a personnel change and maybe more as we head to the fourth race, now set for Saturday.