Squirrel playing footie (YouTube)

Who knew Carlsberg made energy drinks?

News and notes while Peter King recovers from having his heart break…

Day 8: Federer, Blake and Venus all winners (AP/USATODAY.com) Today’s recap of the Aussie Open.

FIFA, UEFA to pay clubs $225M (TSN.ca) Top European soccer clubs will receive about US$252 million over the next four years as compensation for using players in international games.

No dumb blond jokes here (LA Times) T.J. Simers of The Los Angeles Times remembers former Los Angeles — and now St. Louis — Rams owner Georgia Frontiere and takes a poke at a newspaper colleague.

Language was hurtful, but actions were profane (WashingtonPost.com) Michael Wilbon of The Washington Post tackles the Golf Channel controversy (I-Five to The Big Lead for the tip).

Review: ‘God Save the Fan’  by Will Leitch (DanShanoff.com) The great Dan Shanoff who doesn’t read our emails anymore since he’s hit the big time — we’re kidding – gives a review to the upcoming book, “God Save the Fan” by Deadspin’s Will Leitch.

News and notes while getting prepped for some football…

Chargers: Rivers doubtful (SignonSanDiego.com) Despite what sources are saying within the organization, Phillip Rivers is considered “doubtful” for the AFC Championship.  Rivers is said to have a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in addition to a sprained medial collateral ligament.

WVU faces new criticism, this one alleging hiring bias (ESPNU) College football writer Ivan Maisel unveils more details on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report that former West Virginia offensive coordinator Calvin Magee didn’t get a shot at the head coaching job because he was black.

Jones Jr. wins handily over Trinidad (AP/SI.com) Roy Jones, Jr. dominated opponent Felix Trinidad in a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden.

Day 7: Henin, Sharapova cruise (AP/USATODAY.com) Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova rolled forward to the Australian Open quarterfinals after each closed out their opponents in less than 75 minutes.  Other notables: Roger Federer closed out his match roughly 4 1/2 hours; Lleyton Hewitt’s match began at 11:47 PM local time (he won nearly five hours later); Former No. 1 Ray Ferrero advanced, as did Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic.

Landon Donovan sets goal scoring mark (USSoccer.com) In a friendly with Sweden, Landon Donovan became the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. Men’s National Team after scoring from the penalty spot in the second half to help defeat the Swedes, 2-0, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

…and finally….

Tom Brady shows us how it’s done (YouTube) Hard work. Jump roping. Reading defenses. Yeah, that about sums it up.

UCLA’s Myers taken first in MLS draft (AP/USATODAY.com)

The Kansas City Wizards selected sophomore defender Chase Myers with the first overall pick in this year’s 2008 MLS Draft.

That’s right — he came out of school early to be eligible for the MLS draft.

“When I heard they traded for the No. 1 pick, (MLS Commissioner) Mike Garland said the interest was high and I could be No. 1,” Myers said. “After the season was over, it was kind of unexpected if I was going to leave or going to stay, but my choice paid off.”

The rest of the draft went as follows: No. 4, Sean Franklin (L.A. Galaxy); No. 5, Ciarin O’Brien (Colorado Rapids); No. 6, Andy Iro (Columbus Crew); No. 7, Patrick Nyarko (Chicago Fire); No. 8, Josh Lambo (Dallas); No. 9 Julius James (Toronto); No. 10, Pat Phelan (Toronto); No. 11, Roger Espinoza (Kansas City); No. 12, Dominic Cervi (Chicago); No. 13, Rob Valentino (New England Revolution); No. 14, David Horst (Real Salt Lake).

News and notes while Congressional hearings roll on…

Sources: Ravens offer coaching gig to Garrett (ESPN.com) Sources tell ESPN.com’s Ed Werder that the Baltimore Ravens have offered their head coaching job to Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

Rex Ryan getting second call back in Atlanta (ESPN.com) Atlanta Falcons mouthpiece Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com reports that the Falcons are bringing in Rex Ryan for a second interview Tuesday.

Attorney: Pacman punched me (WSB-TV, ATL) When Pacman Jones goes to a strip club, trouble typically follows:  Jones lunged at Wanda Jackson and then sucker-punched her at an Atlanta, Georgia adult entertainment venue.

Forsberg might make yet another comeback (CP/TheHockeyNews.com) Veteran forward Peter Forsberg is contemplating another comeback, this time with the Sweden national team as he continues to recover from chronic foot, ankle injuries.

NCAA investigating UCLA — and John Wooden? (Los Angeles Times) Just before the start of this college basketball season, UCLA received a letter of inquiry from the NCAA, seeking information about possible illegal contact between a recruit and a person representing the interests of the university. (i-Five to SPORTSbyBROOKS.com for the tip)

…and finally…

Dallas trades Ruiz to Galaxy for cash, draft pick (AP/USATODAY.com) FC Dallas has traded leading scorer Carlos Ruiz back to the Los Angeles Galaxy for a second-round draft pick in 2009 and an undisclosed amount of allocation money.

News and notes while we spend the day away from the Internets…

Clemens needs to act if he’s really innocent (FOXSports.com) Ken Rosenthal has something to say to the Rocket: File a lawsuit, or shut up.

Players, owners to discuss Mitchell’s recommendations (AP/Y! Sports) With the continuing fallout over the names in the Mitchell Report, both the MLBPA and MLB will meet to discuss the recommendations in the report.

Rose: Steroids ‘making a mockery’ of baseball (AP/SI.com) The all-time hit king sounds off about PEDs, saying those who use it mock the game.  “I never thought anybody would make me look like an altar boy.”

Court documents: Bertuzzi says he felt expected to fight (CP/The Hockey News) Todd Bertuzzi felt he was expected to “fight someone” the night he attacked Steve Moore and said he would have been “challenged” by former Vancouver Canucks coach Marc Crawford if nothing happened.

Riddell starts shipping concussion-monitoring football helmets (Engadget) Athletic equipment manufacturer Riddell brings the Revolution IQ HITS (Head Impact Telemetry System) helmet, which will contain a system of sensors that stores data about the last 100 impacts, which can later be wirelessly transmitted to a laptop for analysis.

…and finally…

Brazil striker Romario suspended 120 days for doping (AP/USA Today) The 41-year old striker flunked a doping test and a sports tribunal in Brazil voted 3-2 to suspend him. That’s right: two dissenters that condone cheating.

News and notes while waiting for Roger Clemens explains himself…

A-Rod reveals depths of rift with Boras (ESPN News Services) We know we’ve posted about the 60 Minutes interview with Katie Couric, but we have yet to address his comments about his agent Scott Boras yet.  In fact, he’s not talking to him at the moment.

Q&A with George J. Mitchell (Bats/New York Times) Jack Curry of Bats/The New York Times had the opportunity to sit down with MLB’s PEDs investigator, former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell, late last week.

Best sports PR move of the year for me (SportsBiz) CNBC’s Darren Rovell hits the nail on the head with this piece on Andy Pettitte’s decision to come forward in the wake of allegations in the Mitchell report. You hear that, Roger?

Terry Bowden leading candidate for WVU? (Charleston Daily Mail) The WVU graduate told the Daily Mail in October he wanted to return to coaching next season and that he wanted to replace Rodriguez if he had left for Alabama last year.

Five Falcons fined for message to the incarcerated Vick (SPORTSbyBROOKS) Roddy White, Alge Crumpler, DeAngelo Hall, and Chris Houston were docked $10,000 for wearing messages in support of Vick on their uniforms.

Argentina finishes numero uno in FIFA rankings (AP/USA Today) In the arbitrary FIFA world soccer rankings, Argentina pulled into the top spot while the U.S. barely remained in the top 20 at No. 19.

So whose real in the NHL’s Wales Eastern Conference? (SI.com) Darren Eliot examines that very topic in his latest NHL notes.

News and notes while commissioner Bud Selig’s reaction was a ‘big swing-and-miss’…

Pujols reacts to inaccurate report (MLB.com) A report leaked by WNBC-TV in New York had erroneously named several major leaguers, including St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols.

Stanton denies allegations (MLB.com) The first of the less prominent players speaks in his own defense.

Sabres defenseman Numminen skates with team for 1st time (CP/The Hockey News) Buffalo Sabres defenseman Teppo Numminen skated with his teammates Thursday for the first time since open heart surgery three months ago.

Kobe glad he wasn’t traded, is ‘happy’ with Lakers (ESPN The Magazine) Chris Broussard of ESPN: The Magazine writes that star Kobe Bryant is a happy camper in Los Angeles now. The guy can’t get enough attention, apparently.

Veron, D.C. United agree to deal (SI.com) The 32-year old Argentine soccer star has agreed to terms with MLS club D.C. United, writes Arash Markazi of SI.com.

Vick asked judge for ’second chance’ (AP/Y! Sports) The suspended NFL star pleaded with the judge in his dogfighting conspiracy case for leniency by claiming he’s “not the bad person or best” he’s been made out to be.

News and notes while Juan Carlos Osorio leaves the Chicago Fire…

Retired MLBer Segui admits steroids use (BaltimoreSun.com) David Segui, the former first baseman for the Orioles and other clubs, admits to buying shipments of steroids from former NY Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski.

MLBPA files grievance for Guillen (MLB.com) Baltimore’s Jay Gibbons took his 15-day punishment in stride, so should Jose Guillen.

Washington State to name Wulff head coach (AP/SI.com) Eastern Washington’s Paul Wulff will be tabbed as the new football coach in Spokane, Wash., replacing Bill Doba.

Michigan, Arkansas fans anxious over prolonged coaching searches (ESPN.com) Pat Forde of ESPN.com delves into the topic of the open head coaching positions at football mad schools Michigan and Arkansas.

Smith to have season-ending surgery (Santa Rose Press-Democrat) After denying to rumors on Sunday that he stated to FOX Sports was misinterpreted, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith will undergo shoulder surgery ending his season.

Patriots open as record 27-point favorite over J-E-T-S (AP/USA Today) The undefeated Patriots were made a 27-point favorite over the New York Jets in the opening line for Sunday’s game at Foxborough, Mass.

Warming up for the world juniors (The Hockey News) Team Canada-invite Steven Stamkos gives insight on what it’s like to play against some of the best junior-level players in the world.

ESPN ‘eyes Premier League rights’ (BBC News)

‘The Worldwide Teaser’ has another professional league in its sights for their jam-packed broadcast schedule: the English Premier League.

According to network president George Bodenheimer, ESPN is looking to buy the UK rights to broadcast the league.

BSkyB and Setanta currently hold the UK rights to show live Premier League games until the end of the 2009/10 season and pay an estimated £1.7bn for the three-season contract.

Should ESPN land the coveted rights, they’ll use the league as leverage to improve their hold in the European cable marketplace as they only reach 10 million homes.

i-five to Awful Announcing for the tip.

News and notes while Les Miles hems and haws on ‘Mike & Mike in the Morning’…

Thousands attend Taylor funeral (AP/USA Today) Mourners gather to honor murdered Washington corner Sean Taylor, who died after a gunshot wound to the leg last week.

The Monday Morning Quarterback (SI.com) All the news and notes in the NFL, plus Peter King’s favorite coffee moment of the week.

Calgary needs new approach (THN.com) The Hockey News’ Mike Brophy profiles the Calgary Flames, a team trying to find its identity under new coach Mike Keenan.

Our Heisman Ballot and what we think will happen (The Big Lead) The media-centric — and sports information — blog The Big Lead breaks down who they think we’ll take home the coveted Heisman hardware. Their third-place selection may surprise you.

England’s Ashley Young likes to wank it on the Internets (You Been Blinded) From the fine folks at Yardbarker.com, this link is safe for work — and quite hilarious.

News and notes while N.F.L. defensive ends make some damn good money…

Report: Three held for questioning in Taylor case (AP/SI.com) Police have detained at least three people in the Fort Myers area for questioning in the death of Washington Redskins football star Sean Taylor.

Seattle’s Alexander will face Eagles Sunday (AP/ESPN) Coach Mike Holmgren states that the running back should be good-to-go for the Seahawks’ contest against Philly.

Giants question Marlins’ demands for Cabrera deal (Miami Herald) Chris Spencer of the Miami Herald writes that San Francisco Giants have joined the train on questioning the Florida Marlins’ demands for their third baseman.

Theo Fleury TV show a bad idea (THN) Ken Campbell of The Hockey News writes that a reality show based on Theo Fleury is not a good move.

Beasley to miss rest of the season (AP/Soccernet) U.S. Soccer suffers a blow with the knee injury suffered by star DeMarcus Beasley.

Movie Brad Penny won’t be seeing: The one where Eliza Dushku has group sex (The Big Lead) Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.  Well, there’s the title: “Sex and Breakfast.”

…and finally…

Video of the Terrell Owens celebrating his touchdown by eating popcorn (i-five to The FanHouse for the video get).

News and notes while waiting for Tom Brady to throw another touchdown to Randy Moss…

Canucks d-man Ohlund suspended four games for slash (CP/The Hockey News) The defenseman slashed Minnesota Wild forward Mikko Koivu in Friday’s 6-2 win over Minnesota. Koivu suffered a fractured left fibula on the play and will miss at least a week.

Report: Glavine to return home, sign deal with Braves (AP/ESPN) The crafty lefthander to likely finish career with Atlanta as he signs a one-year deal that will pay him $8 million.

Castillo, Mets agree to terms (AP/MLB.com) The deal, reportedly a four-year deal for $25 million, is complete pending a physical.

A-Rod says contract talks moving along (AP/Y! Sports) Slugger describes talks as in “the bottom of the fifth inning.”

LSU, Kansas sit atop BCS standings (AP/SI.com) Ready? set? bitch: 1. LSU; 2. Kansas; 3. West Virginia; 4. Missouri; 5. The Ohio State.

Definition of an MLS dynasty (Y! Sports) Martin Rogers of Yahoo! Sports writes that the Houston Dynamo (nee San Jose Earthquakes) have captured four MLS titles in seven seasons.

Jimmie Johnson nets second straight Nextel Cup title (USA Today) By finishing seventh in Sunday’s Ford 400 in Miami, Jimmie Johnson captured his second consecutive Nextel Cup title, besting teammate Jeff Gordon, who finished in second. Johnson became the first driver since Gordon in 1997-98 to win back-to-back championships.

Seattle to get expansion MLS franchise in 2009 or later (AP/Soccernet)

Despite what David Stern said about the city earlier this week, the MLS is set to announce that it will award an expansion club to Seattle, Washington for the 2009 season — or later, according to a league official.

It is expected that the league’s commissioner, Don Garber, will make the announcement next Tuesday.

More after the jump »

News and notes while The Boston Globe has a bit of egg on its face on the Mitchell investigation…

Yanks, others to ‘go hard after Santana’ (SI.com) Should the All-Star lefty hit the market, Yankees — and others — plan to go all in trying to acquire him.

Fins’ Thomas to sit out with migraines (AP/ESPN) All-Pro linebacker hasn’t been the same since car accident last month.

Rooney injury blow for Man U, England (AP/FOX Sports) Wayne Rooney injured his ankle in training Friday and will be out for four weeks, ruling him out of England’s final European Championship qualifier.

Vikes management makes questionable ‘business’ decision (The Big Lead) A big of fallout on the Vikings management docking Troy Williamson a paycheck for attending his grandmother’s funeral.

Mike Golic admits to taking steroids — again (Awful Announcing) Co-host Mike Greenberg immediately brushes aside a phone callers inquiry on Golic’s admission from Thursday.

News and notes while the guessing begins on the eleven free agents who took PEDs…

Umpires want to be heard in replay debate (AP/SI.com) Spokesman Lamell McMorris of the World Umpires Association wants his membership to have input on replay discussion.

Stern: NBA won’t return to Seattle if Sonics leave (AP/ESPN) Commissioner David Stern throws down the gauntlet: Seattle, Washington State legislature need to step up to the plate.

Vikings dock Williamson paycheck after he attends funeral (TwinCities.com) Um, what? Nothing like finally getting out of one PR nightmare and entering into another one.

Galaxy hire Ruud Gullit to lead squad (AP/USA Today) The 45-year-old Dutchman will succeed Frank Yallop, who quit as coach of the David Beckham-led Galaxy on Monday.