Bulls have early lead . . . New cause of tennis elbow . . . March of robots begins

Coaches and players love to talk about how “we win as a team and we lose as a team.” That may be true, but on Friday night the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ head coach, Corey Chamblin, lost one for his side. The Roughriders held an 11-point lead over the host B.C. Lions with about two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Chamblin went with an empty backfield on third-and-short late in the quarter and the QB sneak got stuffed by B.C. Lions linebacker Adam Bighill. Then, on third and short in OT, Chamblin — what was he thinking? — chose to kick a field goal. Three plays later, the Lions scored a touchdown and won the game. . . . It isn’t often you can point the finger at a head coach and say “This one’s on you,” but that’s the case here. . . . Oh, Chamblin also is in charge of the Roughriders’ defence, which was anything but aggressive. . . . They now are 0-3 and the howling of Rider Nation can be heard across the country. . . .

With the U of Texas having OK’d the selling of beer and wine at football games, John Sharp, the chancellor at Texas A and M, has said his school won’t go down that road. As he told TexAgs Radio: “Our athletic program has not reached the point where we require the numbing effects of alcohol.” . . . ZING!!!! . . . Headline at Fark.com: And in Pamplona, the early score is Bulls 11, Idiots 0. . . . One more from the gang at Fark.com: Eugenie Bouchard’s black bra runs afoul of Wimbledon’s dress code / Moaning, grunting, shrieking all still OK. . . .

“Matt Stonie and Joey Chestnut, who combined to down 122 hot dogs in finishing 1-2 at this year’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, also share the same hometown,” writes Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “Bet the all-you-can-eat places in San Jose, Calif., just love to see those two walking up.” . . . He’s hardly in the same league as Stonie and Chestnut, but Marcus Hanel, the Milwaukee Brewers’ bullpen catcher, recently ate 23 cheesesteaks during a four-game series in Philadelphia. . . . “Or,” wrote Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, “as Joey Chestnut calls it, brunch.” . . .

Bill Littlejohn, our South Lake Tahoe, Calif., correspondent, reports: “Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are going to make a movie about the FIFA scandal — Good Will Bribing.” . . . Littlejohn also noted that “international timekeepers added one second recently to compensate for a slightly slower earth rotation — and possibly for David Ortiz' slightly slower bat speed.” . . . One more from Littlejohn: “Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs says that tennis elbow caused by his iPhone led to his poor shooting. Tennis elbow from an iPhone — is that a case of 'server error’?” . . .

There may not have been a NASCAR race with a better name than the Firecracker 400 that always was run on July 4. Except that this year’s race became the Coke Zero 400 and was held on July 5. As Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel put it: “Once again, let’s cue the patriotic music: ‘My country ’tis of thee, sell your soul to network TV.’ ” . . . Comedy writer Jerry Perisho: “Breaking: Golfer Phil Mickelson will never be inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame.” . . .

You may have heard that Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller claims that he was fined for flatulence during team meetings. His defence? According to Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald: “He tried to claim Tom Brady let the air out of him.” . . . Dickson also noted that the World-Herald “published a Q&A with (U of Nebraska Cornhusker) coach Mike Riley. Big surprise: It was only three times as long as our Q&A with the governor.” . . . Dickson, again: “Ohio Gov. John Kasich will reportedly announce on July 21 that he’s seeking the GOP nomination for president. By then he will be the 89th declared GOP candidate for president. Kasich is the third most powerful person in Ohio behind Urban Meyer and LeBron James.” . . . One more from Dickson: “The FCC chairman has proposed bringing high-speed Internet to the poor. According to an informal survey, 99.9 percent of poor people would rather have food.” . . .

The flag of the state of Washington features a photo of George Washington, and Ron Judd of the Seattle Times suggests it’s time for a change: “Keep George W., but redraw him to look more hip, swarthy and ticked off. Sort of like the way marketing geniuses changed the old, friendly Seahawk into the modern, constipated Seahawk.” . . . Failing that, Judd writes, “Cut to the chase and go with an image that more directly reflects our modern governmental process: corporate lobbyists and paid signature gatherers, arm-in-arm on the Capitol steps.” . . . Hey, that being the case, perhaps B.C. and Washington could share a flag. . . . “A 22-year-old worker was thrown up against a wall and killed by a robot in a Volkswagen plant in Germany,” Judd reports. “This is how it begins.”

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at gdrinnan.blogspot.ca and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, except when it doesn’t.)

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FIFA this, FIFA that . . . You will want to try a Frankenslice . . . NBA fun begins Thursday

As you will know by now, Sepp Blatter was re-elected as president of FIFA on Friday, despite the seeming implosion of the organization earlier in the week. . . . “Say,” wondered Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post, “wasn’t Sepp one of the original Three Stooges?” . . . More from Hamilton: “Seven of the people arrested in Zurich, Switzerland were picked up at the five-star Baur au Lac hotel. They’re now staying at the no-star Crowbaur Hotel.” . . . The FIFA scandal involves officials being charged with accepting bribes to the tune of more than US$150 million. As comedy writer Jerry Perisho pointed out: “Do you know how hard it is to take $150 million in bribes without using your hands?” . . .

“This FIFA scandal has gained some interest in Canada,” reports Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong. “Mike Duffy wants to know how he can get on the board of directors.” . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: FIFA fires executive who failed to bribe U.S. and Swiss officials. . . . “Officials at soccer's governing body, FIFA, are allegedly involved in a $150-million bribery scandal,” writes Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald. “Or, as members of the U.S. Congress call that, ‘October.’ ” . . .

“Atlanta Hawks radio play-by-play man Steve Holman made his feelings known about Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova on Tuesday,” reports the afore-mentioned Hamilton. “During the Eastern Conference final between the teams, Dellavedova’s frequent dives into the legs of Atlanta players resulted in an injury to one (Kyle Korver) and the ejection of another (Al Horford, who threw an elbow at Dellavedova’s head). So, as Dellavedova arrived at the scorer’s table in Game 4, Holman told his listeners: ‘Tonya Harding checking in.’ ” . . . Trust a minor-league baseball team, in this case the Fresno Grizzlies, to come up with the Frankenslice — one slice of pizza with hot dogs baked into the crust. One will set you back $7. As Fark.com put it: “Any fan who can eat a whole pie gets to be carted off on the seventh-inning stretcher.” . . .

Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen: “Draft lottery 1960s: fake injury to avoid Vietnam. Draft lottery 2010s: fake injury to avoid Knicks.” . . . You may not have been aware that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, he of Deflategate, and baseball home run king Barry Bonds both attended the same high school in San Mateo, Calif. Here’s Dickson: “I believe the school’s known as The Fighting Asterisks.” . . . A mid-week tweet from Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated: “The hockey word for 2015, ripped off from basketball, is ‘looks,’ as in ‘getting good looks.’ Calling your team a ‘group?’ That is so 2013.” . . .

The NBA is going to have Steph Curry versus LeBron James in its championship final. Yes, the association is all smiles. . . . The fun begins on Thursday. . . . “Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors passed Reggie Miller for most 3-pointers in one NBA postseason the other night,” notes Bill Littlejohn, our California correspondent who is based in South Lake Tahoe, “but it should come with an asterisk. After all, Curry didn’t do it with Spike Lee hanging all over him.” . . . “Former wide receiver Joe Horn has called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell 'the devil,’ ” Littlejohn writes. “Goodell denied this, saying that he's never even met Charlie Daniels.” . . . Littlejohn also reports: “A newlywed couple in Massachusetts says they won’t go on their honeymoon until Tom Brady's four-game suspension is lifted. Goodell and the NFL reportedly sent them a list of Boston area seminaries.”

“The minor-league Port Charlotte, Fla., Stone Crabs canceled their A-Rod Juice Box Night after the Yankees complained that lampooning PED-inflated slugger Alex Rodriguez was in poor taste,” notes Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “There goes any hope for hosting Tom Brady Ball-Needle Night.” . . . “In tennis news,” Perry reports, “Portugal’s Joao Sousa defeated Brazil’s Joao Souza 7-5, 6-3 at the Geneva Open. So where will they stage the rematch — in Walla Walla, Wash.?” . . . One more from Perry: “Jack Nicklaus donated the 3-wood he used to win all 18 of his major golf titles to the USGA Museum. No word on whether Elin Nordegren plans to hand over her 9-iron.” . . .

“Thanks, or no thanks, to technological advances,” writes Bob Molinaro of the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot, “MLB can gauge the height of a home run ball at its apex. Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton, for instance, hit a homer the other night that crested at 143 feet, the fifth-highest by anyone this season. Another relatively new measurement is the speed at which a ball leaves the bat. Do these revelations actually enhance our enjoyment of the game . . . or just serve as a reminder that some people sitting behind computers have too much time on their hands?”

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at gdrinnan.blogspot.ca and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, except when it doesn’t.)

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After the NBA draft, someone asked Steve Martin about the Three Amigos-style suit worn by No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins. Martin replied via Twitter: “You gotta have the hat.” . . . Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press with a quiz: “Why is Eastern Michigan putting in a gray football field? a) It wanted a neutral field. b) So it can bid to host the Grey Cup. c) You can easily touch it up with Just for Men.” . . . The other day, a Qantas flight from L.A. to Melbourne, Australia, turned back after a pipe burst, meaning there was water everywhere. “United would have kept going,” noted Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe, “and charged a swimming-pool fee.” . . .

After LeBron James opted out of his contract with the NBA’s Miami Heat, Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen quipped: “Further details will be revealed on an upcoming TV special, The Revision.” . . . Forward Jason Spezza has said the pressure of playing in Ottawa didn’t have anything to do with his demanding a trade from the Senators. Rolfsen figures that “sounds legit. It's not like it’s ever affected the performance of our MPs.” . . . In case you missed it, the Winnipeg BlueGolds beat the Ottawa RedBlacks 36-28 in a Thursday night CFL game. . . .

Headline on the first sports page of the Daily Star after Luis Suarez apologized to Giorgio Chiellini: Finally . . . Luis Tells The Tooth. . . . After a recent World Cup game, Hough wrote: “With Nigerians focused on their game against Argentina, did that mean Americans were seeing a lot fewer opportunities to get rich in their email in-boxes?” . . . Here’s Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: “If Ghana had knocked America out of the Cup for the third straight time, we would have had to invade 'em. Or at least send 300 advisers down there to slap 'em around.” . . .

One more from the aforementioned Ostler: “No reason was given for the sacking of (San Jose) Sharks broadcaster Drew Remenda, nor for the firing of (Golden State) Warriors' color man Jim Barnett (who was subsequently un-fired). Thus leading to speculation that their bosses felt the men were too critical. What many management/ownership types don't get: Fans want honesty from broadcasters, not sugar-coated bullsnort.” . . . Ostler, again: “Great scene, Michelle Wie wins the U.S. Women's Open and gets a Champagne shower on the 18th green from some of her competitors. At men's tourneys, for some reason, the TV producers never show us that part, when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson run onto the green and squirt Champagne on Rory McIlroy or Bubba Watson.” . . . Ostler, finally: “Hey, Tiger. If you wash those shirts in cold water, they won't shrink like crazy.” . . .

After Wie won the U.S. Open, she got flowers from actor Adam Sandler. “I feel like that’s the biggest prize in golf,” she said, “getting flowers from Happy Gilmore.” . . . You may not be aware that the Coquihalla Highway, which runs through the heart of the B.C. Interior, has had its speed limit increased to 120 km-h in parts. I know, you thought the speed limit was whatever that guy screaming past you in the Mercedes wants it to be. . . . Can’t, or don’t, enforce the laws that are on the books? Make new ones. . . . Headline at theglobeandmail.com: Higher speed limits in B.C. could put more animals at risks, study warns. . . . “One sign the free-agent speculation surrounding NBA forward Carmelo Anthony has gotten out of hand?” suggests RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “I just heard he signed with the Vancouver Canucks.” . . .

The cast of the movie Field of Dreams is holding a 25-year reunion at the facility in Iowa. “In the modern-day version,” says comedy writer Jerry Perisho, “the little girl chokes on the hot dog and then hires an attorney who sues everyone present.” . . . No one enjoys Canada more than Bobby Bonilla and he’s not even Canadian. On July 1, for the fourth year in a row, the New York Mets paid the former major leaguer US$1,193,248.20. The Mets will make that annual payment through 2035 before his contract is paid out. . . .

“Authorities suspect alcohol was involved after Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux was arrested for repeatedly grabbing the buttocks of a male police officer in Ottawa,” writes Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “Puck purists immediately derided it as the worst example of clutch-and-grab hockey.” . . . “In a statement released by the Flyers,” wrote Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post, “Giroux called the incident ‘a misguided attempt at humour’ – kind of like most of the things Ron MacLean says on Coach’s Corner.” . . . One more from Hamilton: “An unmanned aerial vehicle was spotted above Pittsburgh’s PNC Park during a game between the Pirates and New York Mets. In Toronto, the only drone at Rogers Centre is Buck Martinez.” . . .

A Tuesday tweet from Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register: “Tim Howard goaltends and gets worldwide congrats. Dwight Howard goaltends and gets ridiculed. He's right, everybody's against him.” . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Triumphant Jurgen Klinsmann rips critics: ‘I told you idiots we weren’t good enough.’ . . . Home-plate umpire Quinn Wolcott tossed Boston Red Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski from a recent game. What, wondered Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, did Pierzynski say to warrant the ejection? Pierzynski replied: “Give me a new ball. One you can see.”

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at gdrinnan.blogspot.ca and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, except when it doesn’t.)


There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.