Sports Pros(e)

While the rumor mill has Detroit Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson's name popping up in connection with the Cubs, the All-Star and Chicago native has reportedly agreed to host a television and online series.

Already an eventful offseason for the UIC alum.

 [It's]... titled "Stadium Secrets" where he takes sports fans on an exploration of stadiums.

The concept is similar to Authentic's "Cities of the Underworld" on History channel.

"Authentic will be providing an exclusive, VIP experience for fans everywhere - a behind-the-scenes journey that will be exciting for all of us. I am eager to begin working on this project and look forward to a successful partnership," Granderson said.

The multi-threat Granderson is no stranger to being in front of the camera. He served as TBS' in-studio analyst for two straight postseasons, as well as a color commentator for a TNA wrestling event in June.

TNT basketball announcer Marv Albert has one of the most recognized voices in sports, but apparently not everyone is familiar with his face.

Before Albert's Wednesday appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," he was involved in a bit of a dust-up with members of rapper 50 Cent's entourage.

Seriously.

As Albert arrived, with an entourage of one, TNT public relations specialist Jeff Pomeroy, there was a sudden scuffle when a multitude of 50 Cent protectors seemed unfamiliar with Albert. There was shouting ("It's Marv Albert," yelled a Kimmel show guard, a pronouncement that seemed to have no effect on the 50 Cent phalanx.) There were obscenities. A fist or two flying. A "Don't you put your hands on me" pronouncement.

And finally Albert made it to his waiting room, relatively unruffled but slightly puzzled. "Did you see that?" Albert said. "I thought they were kidding, but then I realized they weren't."

Considering 50 Cent's history of being shot at, it makes sense that caution is the name of the game. But, come on, Marv Albert?

You've seen fans wrestle over foul balls at baseball games, jostle over XXL t-shirts thrown into the stands and grown men knock over youngsters for batting-practice home runs.

Fans going nuts for souvenirs isn't a new thing at all. But, some Anaheim Ducks fans took it to the next level when hometown hero Scott Niedermayer tried to give his stick away to some lucky patrons.

It was all fun and games until the haymakers started.

Dogs are generally regarded as man's best friend. If that's true, then football is a close second-best friend.

That's what makes the news of UGA VII's passing particularly sad for Georgia fans.

The four-year-old Bulldog had served as the school's mascot for less than two years before unexpectedly succumbing Thursday to heart problems. The particularly sudden turn of events means Georgia will be without a mascot for Saturday's game against Kentucky.

UGA VII is the latest in a line of dogs owned by the Sellers family that has served as the team's emblem for the last 54 years.

The Seilers plan to have an interim dog in place for the Georgia Tech game on Nov. 28 in Atlanta. That dog will also represent Georgia at its bowl game but won't necessarily become Uga VIII. A thorough search of Uga's VII's extensive brood of heirs will commence as soon as possible.

If we were to make a Venn diagram -- admit it, they're a lot of fun -- you wouldn't expect the worlds of Miley Cyrus and the Clemson-South Carolina football rivalry to intersect.

But, you'd be wrong.

Rumor has it that the tween pop star is the reason the Tigers-Gamecocks Nov. 28 grudge match has been given noon start time, according to the Palmetto Scoop.

Cyrus is playing across town in Columbia that Saturday night, and making people choose between SEC football and such standards as "Party in the U.S.A." just didn't sit well with school officials.

Whether this is the real reason or not, I'm glad the conflict won't arise. Seriously, who could decide between Heisman hopeful C.J. Spiller and this:

A Miami-based jock radio host claims he was bounced from former Cub Sammy Sosa's 41st birthday party for showing up in blackface.

On his Web site, Enrique Santos said he was stopped on the red carpet leading to the slugger's swank Miami Beach party by a publicist who accused him of making fun of Sosa.

Um, what exactly did he think was going to happen?

Sosa's suddenly lighter face has been burning up the Internet and has compelled columnists to weigh in on issues that aren't exactly skin-deep.

It's one thing to use the pictures as a jumping-off point for a broader topic -- even if many say it's a stretch -- but a totally different thing to pull a prank like this and expect anything different than what happened.

First off, it's Sosa's party. Did Santos really think he'd be received positively?

Probably not, and the attention he's receiving in the wake of the incident was most likely his ultimate goal.

Also, who wants to rub elbows in a social setting with someone on blackface? May as well wear a sign that says, "I don't get life."

Santos, it seems, is twisting and contorting the story, telling the Miami Herald, "I asked [Sosa's publicist], `How many women in here are wearing makeup?' but she wasn't having it," Santos told us. "Was I not white enough for Sammy's party or have the millions gotten to his skin -- I mean head?"

I'm not buying this as social commentary, but rather as a really cheap ploy for attention done in poor taste.

Anyone out there want to defend him?

The Pontiac Silverdome, site of countless amazing runs by Lions great Barry Sanders and MHSAA football championship games, has depreciated in value.

A lot.

An unidentified Toronto-based group submitted the winning bid for the property with a paltry offer of $583,000. It's pretty minuscule when you consider that the Silverdome cost $55.7 million to build.

We're talking about an 80,300-seat stadium that hosted Super Bowl XVI. We're talking about a place that saw 93,000 rabid fans file in for Wrestlemania in 1987 -- the largest indoor sporting event in American history.

How do you put a price tag on those memories?

Apparently, very easily.

The auctioneer says the winning group plans to refurbish the old girl and make it into a haven for professional soccer.

But, a black-owned development group has filed an injunction to stop the sale, citing discrimination and breach of contract.

They say their group were in negotiations until the end, when they suddenly broke off. Their plan was to convert the property into a racetrack.

Pontiac officials say it may take as long as 45 days for the deal to be finalized.

Harrison Barnes is a great high school basketball talent. He's also a smart kid, genius maybe. Maybe he'll be the next great college player. Maybe he'll be the next Kobe or Lebron.

One thing he certainly is already is master showman. Witness the spectacle that was his college selection process Friday. The Ames, Iowa, prep phenom chose North Carolina as his new home for a year until he flees to the land of million-dollar contracts.

The foot-7 swingman, widely regarded as the top player in the Class of 2010, stretched out the announcement, touting a draft boardesque selection of school logos and ticking off the merits of each school - until he dialed up Roy Williams and crew at Chapel Hill - via a Skype video call, no less - to tell them he was the next great seeker of the Michael Jordan throne. Let's just hope coach Williams doesn't make the same mistake Dean Smith did with Jordan and leave him off the Sports Illustrated cover photo.

Barnes was also considering Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and Iowa State, his hometown school. He made his announcement Friday before hundreds of students in the gym at Ames High School and via a live video feed watched by thousands.

Barnes led Ames to a 26-0 record and a state title last winter, but he's made a name for himself nationally with impressive performances on the summer circuit.

Writing a post about something absurd or off-the-wall or inappropriate that Charles Barkley says is almost the blog equivalent of breathing air: It takes almost no effort or thought and happens almost every second of every day.

Case in point: Sir Charles decided to goof on Sammy Sosa's recent skin rejuvenation project that has him looking like something out of the "Thriller" video. So, during the TNT NBA show Thursday night, Barkley, who proclaimed, "I know you want to get in the Hall of Fame, but going white ain't the way to do it!," eventually took to transforming himself into a white man - a process slowed significantly by the continued flapping of his jaw while the makeup person efforted away.

No, on the grand scale, this isn't up there with any Northwestern blackface screwup. But has the Round Mound of Rebound stepped over the line? Nevermind the discussion of whether he'll be able to eat fried chicken and chitluns after he's white. Or is this just another case of Charles being Charles?

Oh, and Chuck, the cops didn't pull you over for driving while black. They pulled you over because you were hammered while looking for some oral pleasure. Just sayin'.

Jay Cutler apologized to the offense.

He apologized to the defense.

After throwing a career-high five interceptions in the Bears' miserable 10-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, one can understand why he did this. After all, it was sort of embarrassing.

In my humble opinion, it's not the only apology needed.

Last night's game was -- and I don't think this is an exaggeration -- among the three worst all-around football games I've ever watched.

And everyone involved with it should apologize to those of us who wasted 3-plus hours watching it.

The Bears were bad. The 49ers were bad. There were interceptions. There were botched field goals from short range. There was an astounding flurry of penalty flags on the last drive -- ruining any momentum or flow at all.

That's just the on-the-field stuff.

The foray onto the NFL Network was met with some pretty harsh reviews in our live chat, with many questioning how the announcing could be so bad (to be fair, Matt Millen was involved). The audio levels struggled for consistency all night. At one point we were treated to a prolonged shot of a green screen.

It was on Thursday night, which means many of you are struggling with workday hangovers right now -- if you're into that kind of thing.

In summation, it was gross. Perhaps one of the grossest ever.

Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought.

What do you think? Does last night's puke-fest rate as one of the all-time stinkers?