""If we have Plax on our team, we go 15-1 and we win the Super Bowl," Jacobs said yesterday. "I'm not afraid to say that and I'll say it to anybody on any team."

"Im a 26 yo male looking for a competive weeknight mens softball team to play on. Im a very good all around player, have all 5 tools. Defensively I normally play SS or OF, offensively I normally bat 1 or 2, but can bat in the middle of the lineup, its just I prefer to go 4-4 with 4 singles than risk popping up trying to hit HRs, but I can hit HRs over 300'+ fences.

Jeter is probably the most comparable MLB player to my softball game, Im a great baserunner, great baseball IQ, can do a little bit of everything batting, and a very good defender (although jeter has no range to his left).

• Torre claims Alex Rodriguez's teammates cleverly called him "A-Fraud."
• That A-Fraud developed an "obsession" with teammate Derek Jeter. (????)
• That A-Fraud asked for a personal clubhouse attendant to run errands for him.
• That General Manager Brian Cashman never relayed Torre's wish for a two-year contact to team management.

Brandon Flowers was on top of an amplifier an hour into the Killers' set Tuesday night at the UIC pavilion. The skinny and charismatic front man's right fist was raised high, and he was clad in all black as brightly colored lights flashed in rhythm to the group's mega-hit "Mr. Brightside."

This was the moment -- with every person in the gym singing along with him -- that we'd been waiting for. The reminder that Flowers and the Killers have the capacity to deliver one hell of a good time.

"Vince Carter lives along the water in Weehawken, NJ. So on Thursday, he was stunned when he saw a plane land in the Hudson River. Carter saw the miraculous landing of US Airways flight 1549 that came down in the river after a flock of gulls jammed the engines.

"I was just sitting there, looking out the window," Carter said. "I was just sitting in the bedroom. I thought it was watching TV. It landed like it was a movie. It hit like nose first, and you could (hear) the impact. I couldn't believe it."

I wanted to make a "Rear Window" reference (because Jimmy Stewart is always in style), but the intrepid folks over at Deadspin beat me to the punch.

Considering the heroic actions of pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III, he should be given free tickets for life to every American sporting event. It's the least we can do as Americans.

Nets report: Notes, quotes   (CBS Sports)
Vince Carter starring in 'Rear Window'   (Deadspin)

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Jesse Feister was calling from picturesque Santa Monica, Calif., speaking on the telephone while taking a break from recording an album that has been too long in coming.

The Cavashawn drummer was taking in the West Coast scenery as the Chicago pop-punk band was taking its time and doing it right. His California dreaming is becoming a reality.

"We've never been out here as a band," Feister said. "I've come out a couple times to see family and always thought about how great it'd be to come out here as a band."

A few months back, this didn't seem to be anything but wishful thinking. Cavashawn was halfway through recording an EP in Chicago, but things weren't going as smoothly as Feister and bandmates Scott Salmon (vocals), Chris Hellman (guitar) and Benton Kubicki (bass) had hoped.

So, they decided to drop everything and start over.

" I read something that said your vote didn't count if you voted for No. 1 because No. 1 already was taken," Brown said Thursday.

"I didn't want to hurt our team by voting us No. 1 and it not counting," Brown said. "So I guess I misunderstood."

"Not good," Campbell said Thursday from his home outside Dallas. "I had actually thought about it on the plane, that there was a chance I didn't commit. I found out when I got off the plane."

Campbell landed Saturday afternoon. The deadline to enter a tournament is Friday afternoon.

Sort of humorous, yes, but as the No. 64 player in the world, this particular event was crucial to Campbell securing a spot in the Accenture Match Play Championship later this month.

To his credit, Campbell seems to be handling it well, laughing when someone asked him if he'd remembered to sign up for this weekend's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Campbell makes his flight, misses the tournament   (Sun-Times)

"For years, though, Harrison has offered clues that he is serious about protecting his turf, and a more complicated man than we see in games. On Jan. 4, 2003, before kickoff of an AFC wild-card game at the Meadowlands, Harrison was catching passes from Manning as Jets ball boys shagged punts from New York's Matt Turk. One of them, a 23-year-old Long Islander named Matt Prior, threw a ball downfield that bounced near Harrison. According to a New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority report--and two people on the field--No. 88 felt the toss violated his personal space. He charged Prior, bumping him in the chest.

"You threw the ball at me!" Harrison screamed. "You're a professional! You should do your job better than that!" Everyone on the field froze. Prior asked Harrison to back away. Instead, Harrison grabbed Prior by the throat and lifted him off the ground. While fans watching on the stadium's video screen chanted for their ball boy to fight back, players and workers tried to separate the two. As Harrison argued with security, Prior was taken to a medical station, where marks were found around his neck.

"I believe today, and people say I'm crazy, but if you gave me as many at-bats that you would give the runners out there today, I would out-steal every last one of them," Henderson said with typical bravado.

Rickey got specific, noting, "I can go out and steal as many bases as [Jose] Reyes steals." Reyes stole 56 bases last year.

"I might have lost a step or two, but I learned a step or two in knowledge that I can pick a pitch and walk to second base," Henderson said.

Henderson also added no team could pay him what he's worth.

I wouldn't wait by that phone, Rickey.

RICKEY TO BIG LEAGUE GMS: DON'T LOSE MY NUMBER   (New York Post)

"Hendry said the Cubs will still explore acquiring a fifth starter, a slot that could be filled in-house by Sean Marshall, Chad Gaudin or maybe even promising young right-hander Jeff Samardzija, the former Notre Dame wide receiver.

The Cubs talked with San Diego about a trade for pitcher Jake Peavy but a deal has not developed. Chicago is also in the market for a backup catcher -- preferably a left-handed hitter -- for NL Rookie of the Year Geovany Soto, after Henry Blanco was not re-signed.

"We're going to see if we can do something before we get to camp. How significant that is, we don't know," Hendry said. "Nothing really imminent. We feel good about where we're at. We could go to camp now and feel good about it, but we'll continue to stay active if we can."

What moves, if any, would you like to see the Cubs make as they head into the 2009 season? And more importantly, who's your favorite all-time explorer?

Hendry says Cubs will keep exploring moves   (Sun-Times)

"Meggett, 42, was arrested and charged with raping a 21-year-old woman in her North Charleston home, authorities said.

The woman told police she woke up at 1 a.m. Tuesday and found a man she knew as "Mike" sitting on her bed, according to an incident report. The man demanded that she repay $200 she owed him and raped her when she said she didn't have the money, police said.

In September, he was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct after a 17-year-old North Charleston woman told authorities she was raped by a man she knew as "Michael," according to police records.

Ex-NFL player Meggett facing rape charge in SC   (AP)

• saying she'd make out with Ryan Seacrest
• getting into a tiff with new judge Kara DioGuardi
• wearing very little clothes.
  
  
  
  The proceeding video notwithstanding, we here at Sports Pros(e) probably won't be turning into "American Idol" for yet another year....but will you?

"Irvin put down his window because he thought someone wanted to talk to him and saw the passenger in the other vehicle raise a gun, the report said. Irvin said in an interview Tuesday night that he feared the men had planned to rob him and changed their minds when they saw who he was.

"The passenger pulled out a semiautomatic and I knew what time it was," Irvin said. "But he said 'Oh, that's Michael Irvin, with the Dallas Cowboys.'"

Despite being scared, Irvin said he tried to keep the conversation going.

"So we started talking about the Cowboys and everything," he said. "Then they got back on the highway."

"I tell you what, I'm glad he was a Cowboy fan," Irvin said.

54 pts, 8 rebs, 4 ast, 15-22 fg, 10-15 3pt, and 14-14 ft

"As he was walking out of the Alario Center after practice, Chris said he had never heard or met Miguel.

"Miguel Paul was a junior in high school when he met his cousin for the first time.

Paul's high school basketball team from Florida had just won a national tournament in Raleigh, N.C., despite being one of the smallest schools competing. Paul scored 36 in the championship game.

• Curry tried to solicit sex from him on multiple occasions
  
• Curry made the driver dispose of soiled towels (yeah, exactly what you're thinking)
• Curry repeatedly used racial slurs against the driver
• Curry pointed a loaded gun at the driver to keep him from complaining about his treatment

"Natalie Dylan, 22, claims her offer of a one-night stand has persuaded 10,000 men to bid for sex with her.

Last September, when her auction came to light, she had received bids up to $243,000 but since then interest in her has rocketed.

The student who has a degree in Women's Studies insisted she was not demeaning herself.

Miss Dylan, from San Diego, Calif., said she was persuaded to offer herself to the highest bidder after her sister Avia, 23, paid for her own degree after working as a prostitute for three weeks.

As you may have guessed, this is garnering quite a bit of interest in many circles. Dylan, for her part, expresses surprise that this type of stunt is attracting some odd inquiries.

"She said she had had a lot of attention from a wide range of men, including "weirdos", "those who get really graphically sexual about what they want to do to me" and "lots of polite requests from rich businessmen".

Student auctions off virginity for offers of more than £2.5 million   (Telegraph)

"Wedding bells meant Taco Bell for Paul and Caragh Brooks.

Customers inside the fast-food restaurant continued to order tacos and burritos as the couple sat Friday in a Taco Bell orange booth and exchanged vows.

"It's appropriate," groom Paul Brooks said. "It's an off-beat relationship."

Yes, certainly off-beat.

Plus, this story spawned this headline, which is certainly open to interpretation:

Normal couple weds at Taco Bell   (Sun-Times)

"Obama, asked what he thought about Florida's 24-14 victory Thursday night over Oklahoma in the BCS championship game, congratulated the Gators and said he'd sent a message to a friend whose son plays for the team.

At the same time, he said, "If I'm Utah, or if I'm USC or if I'm Texas, I might still have some quibbles."

Obama said, "That's why we need a playoff."

Personally, I choose to believe that the Gators' victory is convincing enough for them to be crowned without hesitation. But a certain team in Utah would probably disagree with that.

So, is Florida your national champion or are you with Obama on the need to get those playoffs a-rollin'?

Obama renews plea for college football playoffs   (AP)

"Romanowski would also hire a full-time nutritionist and recruit some of the world's elite strength and conditioning coaches, he said.

"I'd have literally a full-time person mixing up protein shakes every day," said Romanowski, who is president and CEO of a nutritional company called Nutrition53. "The business is football, which is having fast, strong, explosive players."

The one thing this amino acid enthusiast has working against him is his lack of experience. He does help coach his son's team, though.

Probably makes them eat lots of tuna fish.

Romanowski openly campaigns for Broncos job   (Sports Illustrated)

Predictably, the vast majority of the media landscape is feeling love for Tim Tebow this morning the likes of which hasn't been thrust upon an individual since a certain Illinois Senator was running for this nation's highest office.

Can you blame us? As The Sports Network so succinctly puts it: "He has the pretty girl. The big muscles. The bronze statue displayed were most young men his age showcase a collection of beer bottles. Yet, he never flaunts his success or boasts about his enormous talents, but rather deflects praise to his biggest fan at every turn. God."

Would that we were all as good at life as Tim Terrific.

Here's a smattering of Tebow love from around the Web:

New York Times: Tebow's Performance a Perfect Ending (or Maybe Not)

LA Times: There's no debate about the greatness of Tim Tebow

ESPN: Tebow carries Gators to title

Orlando Sentinel: Best ever

The Sports Network: Tebow keeps promise to team, fans, God

The Gainesville Sun: This win, this title stands alone

The Miami Herald: College football needs Tebow to stay one more year

Anyone care to dissent?

The Canadian Press (of course!): Borrrring! BCS championship game should have been on C-Span

Houston Chronicle: Chronicle writer tabs Utah as No. 1 in final AP Poll

The Norman (Okla.) Transcript: Bad plays, bad decisions cost Sooners the title (Bad plays and bad decisions -- not the greatness of Tim Tebow -- is why OU lost. Bold claim, Transcript. Bold claim.)

"Ronaldo gave photgraphers a thumbs up this afternoon as left training.

He smiled as he drove away with a pal in a Bentley.

Ronaldo wrecks Ferrari in smash   (The Sun)

"After a few rounds of tequila shots, our spy said Eli's wife, Abby (above), "gave him a special lap dance" while Beyoncé's hit, "Single Ladies," blared. "They were trying to hide, but everyone on the dance floor could see them."

"Levi is mechanically inclined and since age 8 has tagged along with his dad on house-building and wiring jobs, Keith Johnston said.

In early September, Levi finally landed a job as a roustabout on an ASRC project in Valdez, Johnston said.

Levi did well, showed a good attitude and didn't complain about working in the weather, he said.

For those of you unfamiliar with what a roustabout is all about, here's a brief educational video:



Levi Johnson quits oil field job   (Anchorage Daily News)

Sometimes when we need to step outside of the sporting world, the ever-changing landscape that is the local music scene is there to comfort us. While combing through some archives, I stumbled on this October 2007 interview I did with Mike Kinsella, known to his fans as Owen -- the man responsible for crafting songs that resonate with their simplicity.

Chatting on his phone while driving, Mike Kinsella quickly exclaims, "Oh, man, there's a cop pointing at me. I'm going to fake hang up. I'm putting the phone down but I'm not hanging it up." It's a close call but he escapes the long arm of the law.

Of course, Kinsella just could have given Chicago's Finest his alias: Owen. That's the moniker the 30-year-old has assumed for his solo music project, which is about to embark on a fifth album. The irony is that Kinsella's Owen is as honest as it comes -- stripped down with nerve endings exposed.

""You have your trademark play, and that's one of my plays. It kind of looks like a travel because it's slow, and it's kind of a high-step, but it's a one-two just as fluent as any other one-two in this league. I got the wrong end of it, but I think they need to look at it -- and they need to understand that's not a travel," James said. "It's a perfectly legal play, something I've always done."

"I'm used to it now," said Daniels, who plans to study athletic training in college with an eye toward a career in physical therapy. "Playing a lot this summer and going out to L.A. really helped me a lot. I've learned to cope with it and not worry so much about what I can't do and work on what I can do."