Cohen Taking a Break from Skating

Have we seen the last of figure skater Sasha Cohen?

In a Denver Post article, Cohen said she was considering taking a year off from competitive skating, saying she was "burned out." She won't be participating in the Grand Prix series next fall, and chances are slim that she'll participate in the World Championships next March.

Cohen might be feeling burned out, but it's not from her skating schedule alone. It's from trying to juggle skating AND an acting career.

Since the beginning of this year, Cohen has added several high-profile roles to her acting resume. She appeared on an episode of "Project Runway" during its second season, played herself on "Vegas," and attended the Academy Awards. In recent weeks, she filmed "Moondance Alexander," a movie about show-horse riders, and an episode of "CSI: New York."

Not bad for someone with no prior acting experience. With so much going on in her acting career, who has time to skate? It's clear that by taking time out from skating, Cohen plans to focus on her "other" career. "I'm always acting," she says. "I love to be in the spotlight."

It's obvious that Cohen's priorities have changed, and in light of her failure to capture gold at the Olympics and at the World Championships, one wonders if this is the last hurrah for her.

According to her web site, Cohen wants to participate in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. But after watching her performance at the Turin Olympics and the Worlds in March, I question her desire to compete. Especially during her free skates, she often looks like she'd rather be anywhere else than on the ice rink in front of thousands of fans. These days, her heart is not in skating, which is why I do not see Cohen being part of the U.S. Skating team in Vancouver.

It's often difficult to come back after an extended leave from any sport, even for non-injury reasons. And if the spotlight of Hollywood continues to shine brightly for Cohen, expect our U.S. National champion to make her break from skating a permanent one.

Hall of Fame Honors Sutter, Negro Leaguers

On a weekend that featured the Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals in a four-game series at Wrigley Field, the MLB Hall of Fame welcomed former Cub and Cardinal closer Bruce Sutter.

I remember watching Sutter pitch during a game at Wrigley in the late 70s. When he came into the game, you could feel the excitement in the air. It was electric.

Also inducted into the Hall of Fame are 17 members of the Negro League, including Effa Manley, a white woman who owned one of the most successful teams, the Newark Eagles.

Five Reasons Soriano Will Not Be in a ChiSox Uniform

Earlier this week, ESPN reported that the White Sox were oh-this-close to obtaining Alfonso Soriano from the Washington Nationals. The White Sox have since denied the story, although they do admit they are working on at least three possible deals before the trading deadline on July 31.

Here are five reasons why Soriano will not be playing for the South Siders.

1. The Sox need better pitching, not more hitting. Soriano has great numbers offensively and it's tempting to add him to the lineup. But who do you give up in the process? The Sox biggest problem is consistency among their starters. Their bullpen is improving as the season progresses, and Matt Thornton has settled in nicely since coming over from the Seattle Mariners in the off season.

2. The Sox will not trade Brandon McCarthy. The Nationals covet the young right hander, but the Sox have made it clear that they will not trade him. You never, ever want to give up future prospects for a short-term solution like a free agent who may not be around after this season.

3. The Sox would give up too much defensively. Soriano just converted to playing the outfield earlier this season, and the only position he could play is left field, currently held by Scott Podsednik. Pods is not a strong outfielder either, although he has great speed. Many assumed that center fielder Brian Anderson would be traded in the same deal, Pods would play center and Soriano in left. That leaves defensive liabilities in center and left fields. That would be a problem that the Sox don't want to have.

The other alternative is to keep Anderson in center for his defense, and trade Podsednik in the same deal to bring Soriano here. Basically, you'd be trading off speedy lead-off men with weak fielding skills. Soriano might be a better hitter at the moment, but he also comes with a bigger price tag.

4. Too much publicity killed the deal. Sox GM Kenny Williams has always preferred working "under the radar". So the fact that this deal has so much publicity tells me it was not a serious deal from the start.

5. It's just a smoke screen. Since this wasn't a serious deal, it could only be a smoke screen, a play to prompt other teams to make moves that might eventually benefit the Sox. For example, it was rumored that the Detroit Tigers were also interested in Soriano, and probably needed him more than the Sox did. The Sox might have been playing "keep away" -- get Soriano so the Tigers don't.

The Sox want to win -- badly. You can be sure they will make one or two moves before the trading deadline. But it won't involve Soriano.

Spicy Competition at Miller Park

It seems competition just got a little spicier in Milwaukee of all places. The folks at Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, have added a fifth sausage to their famous sausage race: the chorizo.

The spicy Mexican meat joins the hot dog, bratwurst, Polish and Italian sausage in the popular race that takes place in the sixth inning of every home game. It will wear a sombrero and red, white and green.

Can I get a Corona with that too?

Chicago Still in the Running for Olympic Bid

As you know, I’ve been following the city’s effort to bring the Olympic Games to the Windy City in 2016. Chicago was one of five cities that wanted to bid on being host of the 2016 Games, along with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Philadelphia.

After making its initial presentation to the U.S. Olympic Committee last month, Mayor Daley received good news yesterday: Chicago made the cut, remaining in the running along with the two California cities.

The USOC liked the potential dramatic effect the lakefront would provide during the Olympics.
But city officials still have a lot of work to do. Questions remain about the infrastructure and long-term plans for any facilities that need to be built. USOC officials said however that some of the plans the city has does not meet international standards.

I would think LA is the leading candidate, having hosted the Olympics on two previous occasions. Much of the infrastructure and facilities are already in place, which means their city does not have to put forth as much time, money or energy in providing the services that are required.

San Francisco with its location near the ocean also provides a dramatic backdrop to the Olympic Games. Like Chicago, it has never hosted an Olympics either.

The next deadline is next March when the city officials must present its final plans to the USOC. By then the city must know how it will construct a stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies, the athletes’ village, and other venues.

Sources: Chicago Tribune, USOC

Top-selling Baseball Caps in Chicago

For years, the Cubs cornered the local market on baseball apparel. You could see them everywhere. But according to an article about baseball fashion in the Chicago Tribune, the tide may be turning. White Sox caps have been outselling Cubs caps by 2-to-1. And sales of Sox merchandise overall has increased by 100 percent over last season. It's the price to pay for winning a World Championship.

According to Lids, a retail chain selling sports caps, the top 10 best-selling baseball caps in Chicago are:

White Sox
Cubs
Yankees
Illinois
Red Sox
Nike
Bears
Notre Dame
Atlanta Braves
North Carolina Tar Heels

Speaking of baseball fashion, what's with the pink baseball caps and t-shirts? I know they're designed to appeal to girls, but they do nothing for me. As a sports fan, I prefer to wear the team colors to support for my favorite team.

Despite Slump, Sox Chances Are Still Good

I'm trying to find the silver lining in the current slump by the Chicago White Sox. After being swept by the Yankees last weekend, losing two out of three to the Detroit Tigers and losing to Texas last night, the Sox now find themselves six and a half games out of first place -- and falling quickly.

It's scary, watching your favorite team free fall like this. It's like watching someone take a dive from a high-rise building or a car speeding out of control and hitting a tree. You know how it's going to end, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

But I'm trying to keep the worry wart in me at bay by focusing on the positive. And there are some positive things.

1) It's still July, and with more than two months to go in the season, the Sox have plenty of time to make up those six and a half games.

2) The Sox and Tigers face each other 10 more times this season. That's when the Sox can really gain some ground.

3) The Sox are going through their slump now. Better now than in August or September. In the meantime, the Tigers have yet to go into a slump. It's bound to happen sooner or later.

4) The Sox did not play all that poorly against the Tigers. Their pitching, for the most part, was very good. Garland was brilliant in game 1. Contreras was also solid in the game 3 loss on Thursday. Vazquez pitched well through the first five innings in game 2 until he gave up the five runs in the sixth inning. Take that inning away, and Sox pitching contained Detroit to three total runs in three games. The Sox bullpen did not give up a single run.

Detroit simply outpitched the Sox and took advantage of a few mistakes by Vazquez. That was the difference in the series.

As always, it comes down to pitching. So far this season, Detroit has been the better pitching team. You have to tip their caps to them for that. Question is, can the Tigers keep up that good pitching for the remainder of the season, and can the Sox starters regain their pitching dominance in time to make a run for the division title?

Stay tuned. The next two months should be interesting.

Can Landis Win the Tour de France?

Earlier this week, I wrote in this blog about Floyd Landis, the American cyclist with an arthritic hip who is among the leaders at the Tour de France. Landis regained the overall lead after today's time trial race. With one more stage to go on Sunday, Landis could become the heir apparent to Lance Armstong, who won it seven straight times.

For Landis to even be in a position to win the Tour de France is amazing considering where he was just a few days ago. After Wednesday's race, Landis lost more than eight minutes in his overall time and fell to 11th place. All hope for victory was gone. No one gave Landis a chance.

The next day, however, in what is considered one of the most heroic comebacks, Landis closed that gap on the leaders and moved up to third overall.

If Landis wins the Tour de France on Sunday, it will be one of the most remarkable sports stories of the year.

Swimmer Escapes Shark Attack

It's a good thing Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. is so good at what he does. He needed his swimming skills to escape a shark attack earlier this week. He and his sister were spear fishing in Florida when the attacks occurred. Hall was not seriously injured, but his sister, Bebe, received a shark bite on her arm that required 19 stitches.

More on this story

Are You Ready for Olympic TV?

A few weeks ago, the Big Ten Conference announced plans to launch its own TV channel devoted to Big Ten sports. Could the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) be far behind?

It seems the USOC is exploring the idea of launching a 24-hour Olympic channel that would broadcast live events (not the abbreviated highlights that other networks show), archival footage, and maybe coverage of international events. Their reasoning is that once the Olympics end, most TV viewers don't hear or see anymore about these sports until the next Olympic Games roll around. The 24-hour channel would expose viewers to some of the newer or lesser known events, such as snow boarding and curling.

I like the idea in theory. But I have to wonder if the USOC can pull it off. Launching a TV channel is costly and risky. Ratings for the last few Olympics on national TV have been declining, mainly due to the Internet and time zone differences. With the Turin Olympics, I often went online before I left work at the end of the day to check on the results. Then I decided if it was worth my time to watch the NBC broadcast in the evening.

But with a 24-hour channel, it may be possible to watch events live, even if it is 3 a.m. here in Chicago. Live coverage of events still is a big draw. For that, I may be inclined to tune in, and I think it would be interesting to watch the 1988 or 1976 Winter Olympic Games in their entirety.
But would enough people tune in often enough to make it profitable?

Sports Agent Upset Over Baby Bib

Would you buy a baby bib that says "Damon Sucks"?

I wouldn't, but there are some strange people in this world. For example, one stay-at-home mom and Red Sox fan created just such a bib after former Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon defected to the New York Yankees this past off-season. She had been selling the bibs on eBay until an attorney with Scott Boras' office (Damon's agent) complained that they violated the player's right of publicity. The bibs were pulled from eBay temporarily until the two parties were able to come to a compromise.

Someone asked Damon about the bibs and he claimed he knew nothing about them. He referred all inquiries to his agent's office.

Sometimes I think it's the agents, not the players, who act like they should be wearing these bibs.

Instant Replay Comes to U.S. Open Tennis

We've seen instant replay in pro football for several years -- with mixed reviews. Now comes news that the U.S. Open tennis tournament will use instant replay to review foul calls.

Like any sport, tennis has its share of close calls. But most officials overall do a pretty good job of calling the plays accurately. I doubt that instant replay will improve the game. If anything, it can slow down the game to the point that it breaks a player's momentum on the court.

I suspect players want instant replay because so many matches have been decided by questionable calls. They just want the officials to get the call right.

King of Pain at the Tour de France

Competing in the Tour de France is a grueling feat in itself. But doing it with severe pain in your right hip is incomprehensible.

That has been the story for American cyclist, Floyd Landis, who is among the leaders in the Tour de France.

After Lance Armstrong retired from cycling last summer, you wondered which American cyclist would step forward. Now we are learning a lot more about Landis. He fractured his hip in a cycling crash while training near his California home in January 2003. The injury severed the blood supply to his hip bone which began a slow deterioration called osteoarthritis. He will need hip replacement surgery when the racing season ends.

Even if Landis does not win the Tour de France, he deserves a medal for courage and determination.

Bulls Continue Off-season Juggling Act

After signing center free agent Ben Wallace last week, the Bulls continued their juggling act by acquiring former Bull, Adrian Griffin. To make room for him on the roster, the Bulls sent J.R. Smith to the Denver Nuggets for a guy named Howard Eisley, whom I’ve never heard of, and two future second-round draft picks. Smith was acquired in the deal that sent Tyson Chandler to the New Orleans Hornets. Smith is only 20 years old and did not fit in with the Bulls plans.

The 32-year-old Griffin played for the Dallas Mavericks last season and helped them reach the NBA Finals. Griffin, Wallace (age 31) and Brown (age 36) add the depth and veteran experience that the Bulls have been looking for to complement the younger players on the team.

A Sign of the (Bad) Times

Most people who watched the Sunday night baseball matchup between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs were astounded to see the Mets score 11 runs in the sixth inning. But that wasn’t the first time a team scored 11 runs in one inning this season. On June 20th, the White Sox scored 11 runs against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cubs should have been out of the inning with minimal damage, but Cubs’ second baseman Todd Walker, who is not known for his defensive skills, committed two errors which gave the Mets the opportunities to score when the inning should have ended.

I would not be surprised if Walker is traded before the end of the month as will Cub pitchers Greg Maddux and Scott Williamson. Much to the chagrin of fans, Cubs’ manager Dusty Baker will probably be around until the end of the season.

Sox Face Tigers in Critical Showdown

After being swept for the first time this season by the New York Yankees over the weekend, the White Sox now must face a red-hot Tigers team for a three-game series at Comerica Park in Detroit beginning Tuesday.

The Sox are not playing well lately, having lost five of their last six games. Lackluster starting pitching and lack of clutch hitting are hurting the Sox, and it will be interesting to see how they respond in the next series.

The Sox do have a 5-1 series lead over the Tigers so far this season. In the second week of April, when the Sox were off to a sluggish start and the Tigers started out hot, the Sox swept the Tigers in Detroit. The Sox followed that series by winning seven of their next 10 games.

In June, when it seemed the Sox were losing their momentum, they got back on track by winning two out of three games against the Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field. They followed that series by winning nine of the following 10 games.

So if there’s a pattern to be seen here, it would be that facing the Tigers may be the best thing that can happen to the Sox right now. They seem to rise to the occasion when facing the Tigers. If they play well and win at least two out of three against their Central Division foes, it could be the start of another winning streak for the Sox.

On the other hand, if they lose three straight to the Tigers, the Sox will fall 7 ½ games out of first place. Even in July, that will be a tough hill to climb.

Gay Games Advice: Get Advance Tickets

A word of advice for local readers who want to attend the Gay Games events – get your tickets in advance.

I traveled to Evanston yesterday for the diving competition. I figured I’d be able to get a ticket at the door. But when I got to the venue, I learned that there were no more tickets available.

Order tickets online at www.gaygameschicago.com.

Also double check the schedule. With the area's heat wave, some of the events have been moved to different times.

Running of the Nudes

While visiting PETA's web site, I learned about Running of the Nudes, billed as PETA's "sexy, fun alternative" to the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

Two days before bull-running event, thousands of protesters run through the streets of Pamplona, many wearing nothing more than a red handkerchief and horns.

Veggie-Friendly Ballparks

Sometimes it can be difficult to find healthy eating alternatives when I go to the ballpark. It was nice to see U.S. Cellular Field among the top 10 vegetarian-friendly ballparks in the country, according to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The Cell's offerings include veggie burgers, veggie dogs, fruit cups and "corn off the cob."

AT&T Park in San Francisco was at the top of the list. Wrigley Field did not make the list.

Gay Games Begin Tonight

The city of Chicago is playing host to the 2006 Gay Games, which begin with the opening ceremonies tonight at Soldier Field. Mayor Daley and other city officials have been very supportive of the Games, and are hoping its success will help reel in an even bigger fish -- the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. More about this story

For a complete schedule and details about the events, visit www.gaygameschicago.org.

Sorenstam, Armstrong Win ESPYs

A year ago at this time, cyclist Lance Armstrong was competing in the Tour de France. This year, he's found a new gig -- emceeing the ESPYs, ESPN's annual award show honoring the top athletes of the year. So what else would he be doing in his retirement?

Armstrong and golfer Annika Sorenstam were named the top male and female athletes of the year, respectively. Other winners include Tiger Woods, Albert Pujols, Shaun Alexander, LeBron James and Shaun White ('the flying tomato"). The event was held Wednesday evening but will be broadcast on ESPN tomorrow night.

If you can't wait til then or have other things to do, here's a complete list of the winners.

Danica Not Bothered by Driver's Comment

I was wondering how long it would take before one of the men on the IRL driving tour would make a sexist comment about Danica Patrick.

Earlier this week on a radio talk show, Ed Carpenter made the following comment about Patrick switching to NASCAR: "...especially if you catch her at the right time of the month, she might be trading plenty of paint out there."

To Patrick's credit, she laughed off the reference and called it "a good joke."

It must not have been her time of the month. If it was, she might not have responded so kindly.

Head-Butting: The New Game on the 'Net

Now that the entire world has seen France's Zinedine Zidane's head-butt of Italy's Marco Materazzi during last week's World Cup soccer final, you knew it wouldn't be long before we saw it as an Internet game.

Not only is this addictive, it'll get you a red card.

A Different Kind of Battle for Bears Linebacker

This could get real ugly.

Chicago Bear middle linebacker Brian Urlacher is caught in a child custody case over his 13-month old son, who was born out of wedlock to Tyna Robertson, a Joliet real estate agent. Urlacher wants partial to full custody of his son. The boy's mother is playing "keep away", arguing that the child would suffer "separation anxiety."

The case was supposed to be heard in July but has been moved to October, during the Bears football season. Until then, a judge has ruled that Urlacher can have overnight visits with his infant son until the case ends.

Can't wait to hear the rest of this story.

World Cup a TV Ratings Success

Soccer has always been far more popular on the world stage than here in the U.S. Sunday's soccer World Cup Final between Italy and France drew 16.9 million American viewers , a 152 percent surge over 2002 and 31 percent higher than 1998. By U.S. standards, this is considered a huge television success. It's close to number of viewers who tuned in to watch the NBA Finals and the World Series, but still far less than the All-Star game and the Superbowl.

2006 World Cup Final - 16.9 million (American viewers)
2006 NBA Finals - 12-13 million (avg)
NCAA Basketball title game: Florida and UCLA -17.5 million
2005 World Series: White Sox vs. Houston - 17.1 million (avg)
1999 Women's World Cup Final: U.S. vs. China - 17.9 million
2006 All-Star Game - 31 million
2006 Superbowl: Pittsburgh vs. Seattle - 91 million
2006 World Cup worldwide viewership - estimated 300 million to one billion

American Tennis Stars Drop in Rankings

If you need any more evidence that the U.S. Tennis has lost its supremacy in the world, here's one more. Both Venus Williams and Andy Roddick have dropped in the latest world rankings which were released earlier this week. Both were ranked number one in the past.

Williams won Wimbledon in 2000 and 2001. She was eliminated in the early rounds at this year's Wimbledon tournament, which resulted in her plunge from number 12 to 23.

Her sister, Serena, who has been out of competition most of this year due to injury, is now ranked 140th. Fellow Americans Mary Pierce and Lindsay Davenport are ranked number 9 and 10 respectively.

Roddick has simply not played up to his potential in recent years. After his early exit from Wimbledon last week, he dropped from fifth to 11th.

Wimbledon Wardrobe Mishaps

For all the propriety the British try to exude druing the two weeks of the Wimbledon tournament, they can't hide from this embarrassing moment.

It seems the new Ralph Lauren uniforms that Wimbledon staff wore during the tournament had one slight flaw. The pants were too tight. When officials tried to bend over, the seams would split.

And these are the same folks who wanted to crack down on the players for wearing apparel that was too "revealing?"

Phillie Wins Derby, But One Fan is Flying for Free

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard won the All-Star Home Run Derby Monday night, but he wasn't the only winner.

Ryan's clinching homer in the final round of the contest struck a "Hit It Here" sign above the right-field stands, which meant one lucky fan in the audience at PNC Park won 500 free airline tickets. Not bad for a night's work.

Federer Still Number One

After winning today's men's final at Wimbledon, Roger Federer retains his number one world ranking. But his finale opponent, Rafael Nadal, who won the last two French Open tournaments, is proving to be a worthy rival.

Before Wimbledon, the young Spaniard had beaten Federer in their last four meetings and was 6-1 overall. However, Nadal was not expected to make the Wimbledon final because he did not have much experience on the grass court. He certainly was not expected to beat Andre Agassi in the third round. If anything, Nadal's Wimbledon performance at Wimbledon this year bodes well for the future of tennis, and the finale between he and Federer may be the start of a long-term rivalry.

Is Kerry Wood's Career Over?

You really have to wonder what the Cubs are doing in the front office. Here is another example of mismanaging a player's health and career.

Cubs' pitcher Kerry Wood has a partial tear in his right rotator cuff, which explains why he has been experiencing shoulder pain even after surgery last September. In a Chicago Tribune article today, Wood had an MRI on the shoulder two weeks ago in Cincinnati, but after conferring with the doctor who performed his surgery last fall, the Cubs called Wood's condition "a slight muscular imbalance." Wood felt the pain indicated something more serious, so he had an arthrogram performed at a local hospital here in Chicago. That's when doctors discovered the partial tear.

A slight muscular imbalance is a far cry from a partial tear in the rotator cuff. What are the Cubs thinking? Cubs management continues to be delusional. Did they not believe Wood when he told them he still had shoulder pain?

No only does this injury jeopardize Wood's career in Chicago, it may mean the end of his baseball career -- period. Very sad situation for a player with so much promise a few years ago. I wonder if there isn't a possible lawsuit in the future over mismanagement.

Female Umpire to Work All-Star Events

Ever hear of a woman named Ria Cortesio? She is the only female umpire in pro baseball, calling games for the Southern League in the minor leagues.

Cortesio will be working third base at the All-Star Futures game today in Pittsburgh as well as splitting duties during the All-Star legends and celebrities softball game and the Home Run Derby.

More about Ria Cortesio

Bulls Mascot Arrested

As good as the Bulls are in scouting players, they don't seem to do a good job scouting for the team mascot.

The man who has been "Benny the Bull" the last few seasons was arrested at Taste of Chicago for attacking an off-duty police officer. This isn't the first time the Bulls mascot has been in trouble with the law. In 2004, the man who played "Da Bull" was arrested for peddling marijuana. More about this story

Are Dusty's Days Ending?

For several weeks, fans, bloggers and sports writers have debated when the Cubs would fire manager Dusty Baker. It hasn't been an issue of "if" he would be fired, but when.

Baker is in the last year of his contract, and the Cubs made no move at the beginning of the season to extend his contract. If the Cub front office had any confidence in Baker, they would have offered him a deal. Instead, Baker, the players and the fans have been playing a waiting game to see how this team would fare. With the season half over, it is clear this team is going nowhere and needs an overhaul -- again. (Diidn't they do an overhaul at the end of last season?)

Cubs GM Jim Hendry said he is planning to evaluate the team over the All-Star break next week. That evaluation includes Dusty Baker, his coaches and the players. Who goes? Who stays?

The Cubs still have a group of players to build around: Derrek Lee, Carlos Zambrano, Michael Barrett, Aramis Ramirez. I like the additions of Scott Eyre and Bobbie Howry in the bullpen. They can still tweak the team they've got by adding a power-hitting left fielder (Would the Cubs be interested in ex-Sox outfielder and Milwaukee Brewer Carlos Lee? He's a free agent at the end of this season) and one or two starting pitchers. I doubt Kerry Wood will return, and it's unclear if Greg Maddux will stay with the team or retire.

As for the coaching, I felt before the season started that Dusty will stay on through the entire season and then part ways in October. Hendry has said before that he wants to give Baker a chance to manage a team at full strength, and he really hasn't had that team this season. With injuries to Derrek Lee, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, Baker has had to work with a lot of young players. Baker has always liked veteran players.

On the other hand, a sign of a good manager is one who is able to motivate and mold young players to perform their best. When you see a young player like Corey Patterson struggle here in Chicago, then see him thrive with another team, you have to wonder if your young players are getting the best coaching available. That is what Hendry needs to determine.

My feeling is Hendry may make some decisions but may not put them into effect until the season ends. In other words, he'll likely decide that Baker needs to go but will allow him to manage until the end of the season. If anything happens at all next week, it will likely affect the assistant coaches first. I would not be surprised if the Cubs make one or two trades before the trading deadline to unload players that don't fit into the team's long-term plans and position themselves for next season.

Hello Ben Wallace; Goodbye Tyson Chandler

Well, that didn't take long.

First the Chicago Bulls GM John Paxson offered free agent center Ben Wallace a four-year contract worth $60 million on Monday, a mere two days after visiting with the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

To make room for the 6 ft. 9 inch center, the Bulls reportedly have traded Tyson Chandler to the New Orleans Hornets today. The Bulls ran out of patience with the young forward and are giving Chandler a chance to develop with another team.

The teams have to wait until the NBA's deadline of July 12th to sign the players, however. After that, it will be interesting to see what kind of impact Wallace will make with the team. With Big Ben up front, the Bulls should be much improved up front and should progress from a mediocre team to a good one. One thing is for sure -- tickets sales will go through the roof.

Sorenstam Wins U.S. Women's Open

It's been a long time coming, but Annika Sorenstam won the U.S. Women's Open on Monday in an 18-hold playoff against Pat Hurst. It's been nearly a decade since her last major championship. Yesterday, Sorenstam proved she is still the best women's golfer in the game.

Another story line at the Open tournament was Michelle Wie, who finished in a three-way tie for second. Wie has received a lot of criticism (especially from men) for her attempts to enter men's tournaments. But I think what she is trying to do is pretty remarkable -- not because she's female, but because she is 16 years old. Her play during this weekend's Women's Open proved that she is a capable competitor in her own right.

Americans Eliminated from Wimbledon

If you're a tennis fan, you have to be disheartened by the lack of inspiring play by the American players at Wimbledon this year. After yesterday's loss by 62nd-ranked Shenay Perry, no Americans are remaining in the tournament. Andre Agassi, Venus Williams and Andy Roddick were all eliminated over the weekend.

It's shocking to many fans and players. Pam Shriver, the 1978 U.S. Open runner-up and winner of 22 Grand Slam doubles titles, said "It's a little depressing, and it's a concern if you care about U.S. tennis."

John McEnroe, who is calling the matches for NBC, had harsher words. "I'm beginning to question the drive of some of these players," he said.

Last year, three of the four singles finalists at Wimbledon were Americans. The U.S. has won more men's (33) and women's (50) singles championships at Wimbledon than any other country.

Certainly the absence of Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams make a difference on the ladies' side. But is there a lack of drive of U.S. players? Or is it simply a lack of talent and experience?

The U.S. players appear to be in transition. On the one side, you have a bunch of older players fighting injury or are ready to retire. Then you have younger players who are still gaining experience. It may be simply that the international players are catching the Americans in a down cycle. How long that cycle lasts remains to be seen. The young rising tennis stars seem to be coming from Europe these days (e.g. Rafael Nadal). I don't seen this on the American side.

I think once Davenport and Serena Williams return from their injuries, that might get the Americans back on track. It may take longer on the men's side. With Agassi retiring and Roddick underachieving, someone else needs to step forward as the next rising star.

"Punch A.J." Campaign Underway

Now baseball fans have a chance to show how they really feel about White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzinski. He is one of the five Final Man Candidates for the American League All-Star squad. White Sox fans already have a slogan for the campaign: "Punch A.J." (referring to the punch Cub catcher Michael Barrett gave A.J. during a game on May 20th.)

Pierzinski has tough competition: Travis Hafner of Cleveland, Justin Verlander of the Tigers, Ramon Hernandez of Baltimore and Francisco Liriano of Minnesota. All are worthy candidates. Hafner may be considered the favorite on his numbers alone. But, the AL team already has three power-hitting first basemen -- David Ortiz, Paul Konerko and Jim Thome. Where do you put Hafner? With four strong, dominant relief pitchers and eight starters, do you really need another starter in Verlander or Liriano?

Which brings us to Hernandez and Pierzinski. Both are catchers. Ivan Rodriguez is the starting catcher, but has had occasional back problems. Joe Mauer is the backup. So the AL squad could carry a third catcher. Obviously, I'm more familiar with Pierzinski. He's having an outstanding first half, hitting around .330. Plus, he makes life interesting on the field. You never know what's going to happen with Pierzinski in the game. The All-Star game can get boring sometimes, so a player like A.J. can spice things up a bit.

You can place your vote for the Final Man on MLB.com.

All-Stars Contain A Few Surprises

The American and National League all-stars were announced Sunday. Looking at the line-ups, a few things stand out.

1) The absence of Red Sox starter Curt Schilling. At 10-2 this season, he deserves to be going to the All-Star Game. Instead, manager Ozzie Guillen named his own White Sox starter Mark Buerhle to the squad even though he has had spotty outings this season. I may be a White Sox fan, and I love the fact that there are six players on this year's All-Star team, but I have to admit this is a questionable call.

Also among the starters is Mark Redman of Kansas City. His record is 5-4, but every team needs to be represented at the All-Star game and I guess this was the best Ozzie could find from the last place Royals.

2) Other snubs. Detroit and Oakland are both in first place, yet both teams have only one representative going to the summer classic. You could make a strong case for Oakland outfielder Nick Swisher and Tiger pitcher Justin Verlander (who is one of the Final Man Candidates). But Guillen fulfilled his promise to stack the team with White Sox players. As manager of the AL team, that's his perogative. There are six Sox on the team, and if catcher A.J. Pierzinski gets voted in as the Final Man, there will be seven. This is nothing new. Every All-Star manager has chosen his own players to fill out his roster. Yankee manager Joe Torre once had 11 Yankees on his All-Star squad.

3) First-timers. The tide may be turning in major league baseball. While both teams include a high-profile veterans like Albert Pujols, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez, there are also a lot of first-time all-stars. It's refreshing to see young talent recognized for their accomplishments by both the fans and players.

The All-Star game takes place at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, July 11th.

Bulls Visit with Piston Ben Wallace

How would Ben Wallace look in a Bulls uniform?

Wallace, the Piston's defensive ace and the biggest name in free agency, met with Bulls GM John Paxson and coach Scott Skiles on Saturday, the first day that teams could meet with free agents. The Bulls have plenty of cash to spend on a free agent this off-season, approximately $15 million and still be under the NBA's salary cap.

The Bulls have always been a team built on defense, and in their championship years, they were the best. It wouldn't be the first time the Bulls attracted a Detroit Piston to the windy city. Dennis Rodman, tattoos and all, joined the team before the 1996 season. His defense helped the Bulls add three more NBA titles to the ones they earned in '91, '92 and '93.

It would be a great move for the Bulls if they can pull it off. As the four-time NBA defensive player of the year, Wallace's presence on the court can solidify the Bulls' defensive scheme. But Joe Dumars, the Pistons' GM, has said his priority is to re-sign Wallace. But if the price is right and the two parties can agree on a deal (Wallace reportedly wants five years), Wallace will be wearing red and black next season.