From Reel To Field

After a week off and a half off, we’re going to get back into the swing of things with a return to Monday Monologues, the weekly post that takes no prisoners and wouldn’t know which ones to take if needed.

Hmm, there’s so much ammunition to choose from and so little time. So let’s start firing some of these off before they get stale shall we?

- It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Knicks center Eddy Curry. Two weeks ago, Curry was accused of sexually harassing his male chauffeur. This weekend, an ex-girlfriend, and mother to one of his children, died from multiple gunshot wounds. Note to self, rolling with Eddy Curry runs the risk of stabbing or shooting.

- Joe Torre’s new book contains claims that third baseman Alex Rodriguez “developed a Single White Female type obsession” with shortstop Derek Jeter. I’d buy that accusation except for one thing, in his attempt to kill and pass himself off as Jeter, it would be highly unlikely that anyone would mistake Madonna for the quality tail that Jeter has on his arm.

- A high school basketball coach in Texas was fired today after his team beat another 100-0 and he refused to apologize for the wide margin of victory. The school later petitioned to forfeit the game, in a move of contrition for its lopsided victory. To replace the ostracized coach, the school is said to be in talks with Bill Belichick, in hoped of bringing in a coach who knows the meaning of “sportsmanship”.

- The NHL suspended Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom for skipping the All-Star game after having been selected to play. Commissioner Bettman levied the suspension on Sunday, while also advising that he would also consider fining any fans who voted for All-Stars but chose to not watch the game.

- Catriona Matthew won the HSBC LPGA Brazil Cup by five strokes on Sunday, despite being five-months pregnant. No announcement has been made as of yet, but the PGA tour is said to be readying marketing material to promote the unborn youngster as the next Tiger Woods.

- Tony Stewart landed another huge sponsor at the end of last week, reeling in Burger King, which will serve as a primary sponsor during the second trips to both Daytona and Dover in 2009. The first order of business in sealing the deal will be a burger-eating competition between Stewart and Wimpy.



- Free agent catcher Jason Varitek recently admitted that had he known that the team that signed him, if not the Red Sox, would have to forfeit a 1st round pick in addition to meeting his salary demands, he would have accepted arbitration from Boston. For his part, agent Scott Boras also failed to inform his client of the impact of his decision but in fairness to Scott, he would have had he been allowed to air it out during the World Series.

- The cost, before expenses, of each 30-second ad run during this year’s Super Bowl will be $4 million each. President Obama, in a move to help stimulate the economy, is said to be considering buying up a few slots to air highlights of his $45 million dollar inauguration.

- In a stunning shift, the NFL is urging the Raiders and 49ers to consider sharing a new stadium, similar to how the Jets and Giants currently, and with their new stadium, share a field. In return, Al Davis has asked for the NFL and its head officers to share one finger.