The Jets Are Back


Oft-injured QB Chad Pennington looking more like a wingback than a quarterback, struggles to try and reinjure himself in the Jets' first preseason game, a 16-3 loss to the Tampa Bucanneers. It was new coach Eric Mangini's first NFL head coaching game.

Rookie Kellen Clemens completed 10 of 14 passes for 92 yards. Pennington, 9 of 14 for 54 yards and Patrick Ramsey two of three for 9 yards.

*****

Good-Bye, Nancy Boy



Yeah, he's given England a share of thrills over the course of his national career but between red cards, missed penalties and injuries he's been an overall disappointment with more hype and hope of a human publicity machine than a deserving captain of England. Now he's gone.

Steve McClaren, a day after naming John Terry the England captain, dropped David Beckham from the English side for a match against Greece next week.

With a slip that could scarcely pass unnoticed, McClaren even said yesterday that the door would never be "open" to Beckham, before correcting that to "closed". It is known that the player believes the initial statement was accurate and does not expect to add to his 94 caps. Thank christ for that.

Beckham succeeded far more as a corporate entity of advertising and marketing than he ever did as a football player. True, his crosses and free kicks were occasionally works of magic but as an overall football player, a complete football player, Beckham's hype never dazzled beyond the reality of failure. He will be remembered more for hairstyles and clothes than championships.

*****

Looney Bin For Former Buckeye Star

From National Champ to National Chump.

Maurice Clarett was ordered to have a mental health evaluation following a bizarre and violent encounter with police in which the former Ohio State football star was caught with four guns after a highway chase.

Clarett's latest run-in with the law began when police noticed a vehicle driving erratically, prompting a chase that ended with police spiking the SUV's tires. Officers said they could not easily subdue Clarett because he was wearing a bulletproof vest that thwarted their stun guns.

After several police using pepper spray finally got him into handcuffs, the 6-foot, 245-pound Clarett continued to struggle, kicking at the doors of the transport vehicle. Officers also put a cloth mask over Clarett's mouth after they say he spat at them.

But seriously, a fascinating story about Clarett's crash and burn tale.

*****

Tigres

Having held a choke hold on the AL Central for most of the season and sporting the best record in baseball, the Detroit Tigers have experienced a few hiccups as they try and close in on the postseason.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen labeled this weekend's three-game against the Tigers "do-or-die" for the American League Central title and behind Jose Contreras, they took the first game, 5-0. They have 9 more games against each other with the Tigers lead down to 7 1/2 games. The White Sox have won seven of 10 against Detroit this season.

This comes after their other close rivals, the Minnesota Twins, took two of three from the Tigers in Detroit.

Detroit continues to be baseball's darling team, but the Sox have won six of their first nine against the Tigers, including two of three at U.S. Cellular Field. Much has been made of the Sox' struggles against the American League's stronger teams. The Tigers have had their own trouble against the contenders. Here's how the Tigers and Sox have done against the top six AL contenders:

TEAM Yankees Red Sox Blue Jays Athletics Angels Twins
Tigers vs. 1-3 1-2 2-1 5-4 2-3 10-5
White Sox vs. 1-4* 1-2 5-4 3-0 4-2 5-5
* entering Thursday

*****

As usual, good Mets filters on Archie Bunker's Army and Metsradamus which remain my personal favourites.

*****

Focus On The Braves

The Atlanta Braves will mix baseball with the gospel when they hold another "Faith Day" this weekend. But one of the country's most prominent Christian organizations has been tossed out of the game.

Focus on the Family, a group founded by James Dobson, was barred from participating in Sunday's post-game activities after sponsoring the first such event at Turner Field last month.

While the team wouldn't provide a reason for its decision, several gay rights groups on the Web bristled with speculation that Focus on the Family was given the boot for promoting its belief that homosexuality is a social problem comparable to alcoholism, gambling or depression.

*****

Mr 81 Percent



How does malcontent Terrell Owens come to the figure of 81% when he talks about being 81% healthy after hamstring twinges.

By god, he wears #81. He's such a clever, clever man, isn't he?

Or perhaps he was referring to the percentage he give out on the field.

*****