Sports fodder for a Friday morning ...
The United Football League insists it will play a two-month schedule starting in October with a four-team league in Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York and Orlando. Believe it when you see it. There are only two things wrong with the new league. One, we don't need more football. We've already had all of the silly pro football leagues (USFL, WLAF, WFL, Arena League and XFL) that we can stomach. Heck, more than half of the NFL teams are unwatchable. And, two, the biggest name to sign with the league is former Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman (former Nevada Wolf Pack linebacker Ezra Butler was drafted by Las Vegas). Excited? Of course not. Given all that, if Michael Vick were smart (the jury is still out), he'd jump at the chance to help the league get off the ground. Vick - even a fat, out-of-shape version - would tear up the league, show the world he isn't a monster and get a nice NFL contract when the UFL season ends in November.
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Jeff Garcia is telling the world that he wants to start for the Oakland Raiders this season. The world - and the Raiders - needs to tell Garcia to shut up. The last thing the Raiders need is for Garcia to start this season. Yes, Garcia is a better quarterback than JaMarcus Russell right now. But the Raiders - a team that wouldn't win more than eight games even if Peyton Manning was their quarterback - invested a whole lot of money in Russell. The time has come to see if Russell is ever going to be a productive starter. The last thing Garcia needs to do is cause problems.
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Chad Qualls has certainly enjoyed an amazing baseball career. The former Wolf Pack pitcher came out of nowhere to win 22 games in two seasons (1999 and 2000) in college, get drafted in the second round by the Houston Astros and is now in his sixth big league season. He will turn 31-years-old on Aug. 17 and he is clearly one of the most underrated Wolf Pack athletes in the school's long history. Qualls, who is a very solid 28-21 in his career with 33 saves and a 3.31 earned run average, is one of the most sought-after relievers as the trade deadline (July 31) approaches. A team like the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays or Colorado Rockies would be very lucky to own Qualls down the stretch.
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OK, San Francisco Giants, what are you waiting for? The Boston Red Sox go out and get two powerful left-handed bats in Adam LaRoche and Chris Duncan in one day and the Giants, well, have yet to do anything. Yes, there is still a week to go before the deadline but time is running out. The Rockies, along with a half dozen other teams, are about to pass the Giants in the wild card race. A playoff spot cannot be won by pitching alone.
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It would be a shocker if former San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in June's amateur draft, doesn't sign with the Washington Nationals before the Aug. 17 deadline. What is Strasburg's option? Playing in an independent league for $1,000 a month? Strasburg and his agent, the evil Scott Boras, are just playing games right now. It's been reported that Boras is asking for a package in the neighborhood of $50 million. That is a ridiculous price for a guy whose claim to fame is that he dominated the Mountain West Conference. Boras and Strasburg will come to their senses.
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At first glance, it would be easier to compare Lance Armstrong's performance in the Tour de France to that of Brett Favre going 9-7 with the New York Jets last year. A lot of hype, some excitement at the beginning and a big letdown at the finish. Well, first of all, Favre didn't take more than three years off. And, second, you can't just hand off or punt when the going gets tough in cycling. If Armstrong finishes in the Top 5 in France he should be given Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year award.
