Mark McGwire: "The Cardinals were so paranoid about potential leaks of McGwire's plans to disclose his steroid use, several team officials had to turn over their cell phones Monday after being informed of the pending announcement. The phones were returned after McGwire released his statement." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch] (9)
Mark McGwire's Media Blitz: We'll get to reaction in a bit, but first, here's how McGwire came up with his big reveal. After seeing Alex Rodriguez botch his steroids "apology" last February, and watching as Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds continued their silly denials, Ari Fleischer's PR team planned a rollout for McGwire: He'd start with the AP and talk to a couple ESPN reporters over the phone, the St. Louis media, and the NY Times. His first TV interview was with Bob Costas at the MLB Network - it should be noted that "Costas is represented by IMG, which owns half of Fleischer’s company." And here's a dig at ESPN, or perhaps Peter Gammons: "An interview with ESPN is to be scheduled, but because it’s not exclusive, its thunder will be muted ... McGwire wanted to be interviewed at length by a smart interrogator." [NYT] (97)
Olivia Namath was busted today driving around Miami with drugs and alcohol. She’s 19. “The Deputy pulled over Namath after he caught her speeding in her silver Mercedes,near Jupiter, Fla. When he asked for Namath’s driver’s license, he immediately smelled marijuana, according to the police report. He asked Namath and two passengers to exit the vehicle while he searched it for drugs. The deputy found a bag of pot in the driver’s floor board, and when he checked the trunk he found a collection of small bags of marijuana, which all together weighed over 200 grams.” [Fox News]
Mike Vick, HGH, and Steroids: As a fan of Vick, this hurts to write. "A Drug Enforcement Administration informant told agents that Michael Vick once spoke about steroids and human growth hormone with a dealer, telling the man that he 'liked his product,' The Smoking Gun has learned." We haven't hid the fact that we're rooting for Vick. We hope he gets 15 snaps Saturday night against Dallas. [Smoking Gun] (24)
Major props to Mike Riley and Oregon State, who have dropped a weak game from their schedule to travel to TCU and open the 2010 season. (My QB Has Moxie) Read the rest of this entry »
Tiger Woods and HGH? That’ll be all anyone’s talking about today following a NY Times report that a Canadian doctor who treated Tiger Woods – and many other athletes – is “suspected of providing athletes with performance-enhancing drugs.” It should be noted that the doctor, Dr. Anthony Galea, 50, claims he has never treated professional athletes with HGH. Read the rest of this entry »
Tiger Woods first post-”transgressions” interview is likely to be with Oprah, ESPN, or the Golf Channel according to USA Today. HBO was rejected; 60 Minutes, where Tiger made his debut as a toddler, is also supposed to be in the mix. The number of women he cheated on his wife with has reached 11, and clearly, Tiger didn’t discriminate – Vegas famewhores, porn stars, and a waitress at a bad chain restaurant (Perkins).
Either Jimmy Traina now has pull, or the pool of compelling stories was negligible. Derek Jeter, captain of a team that spent 33 percent more than any other, won Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year. Jeter was a safe, fitting choice, to gloss over a loosey-goosey year where the biggest sports headlines were steroids, a bong-hit, the redemption of a dogfighter and Brett Favre’s ego. (Less than two years after naming him Sportsman of the Year, SI promised a Favre-free issue) SI, and baseball fans, will hope Jeter does not experience the same plight as recent baseball sportsmen of the year. Read the rest of this entry »
Good morning, Internet. I’ll be here this morning. CRM will join you in the afternoon. The Sports Hernia is at work, and TBL has been up for three hours planning which media personalities to stalk. Terrorists in Pakistan not only bombed people, they bombed the hospital where the people were being treated. Landmark peace deal in Northern Ireland. You know things are bad when 20,000 people losing their jobs inspires optimism.
