Yeah, I thought we were in the 21st century, in more progressive and tolerant times. I guess I was wrong. From FanHouse, along with some other recent works

• Complaining about Padres Gay Pride Night
• What impact do hitting coaches have on the game?
• Barry Bonds’ Mistress is shopping a tell all book and plans to pose nude

I will be out all day consulting an NBA team for tonight’s draft, please act accordingly. And don’t miss me too long!

Last year it was Orioles fans, this year, Pirates fans. Apparently. Following the third inning of Saturday’s game against the Nationals, Pirates fans are expected to walk out of the stadium to express their displeasure with the organization. Team leaders Jason Bay and Jack Wilson didn’t have much of a comment in response, but the team sure has. They are planning to ignore the walkout as best as possible:

They have asked their television announcing crew not to discuss the walkout with the media. They have removed all comments about the walkout from their message board at pirates.com. They have the support of their television rights holder, FSN Pittsburgh, which does not plan to show the protest as part of its game coverage.
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Contacted about the protest, Greg Brown, who will do the play-by-play of the telecast along with [Bob] Walk, said, “I have been asked by the Pirates not to comment and refer all calls to Brian Warecki.”

Warecki, the team’s senior director of communications, issued this statement via e-mail:

“We greatly appreciate the passion of all of our fans and their freedom to express that passion in any way they choose.”

No surprise that the teams is trying to downplay it as best as possible — they have to worry about putting 15,000 butts in seats on a daily basis! To counter Warecki’s email however, doesn’t sound like they appreciate the fans expressing their passion in this manner. Man, 15 years of losing, that really stinks. And that’s coming from a Bengals fan (sort of).

I was going through TMZ per usual only to come across a somewhat disturbing photo. They have caught Serena Williams in shall we say, a muscular pose. Check it out for yourself:

There’s no wonder only the likes of LaVar Arrington could handle that. No surprise, my man Michael David Smith has this up at FanHouse as well. Serena is stacked. In a different way. And she straight up puts me to shame.  But it’s OK, I’m comfortable with that.

If there’s any rhyme or reason behind Rutgers’ recent surge to competitiveness and popularity — besides Greg Schiano — it’s their P.R. department. They are flawless. Probably the greatest group I’ve ever worked with when it came to interview requests. And this story fits right in. As Ben Maller pointed out, the athletic department has created the website SeeRayRun in order to promote Rice for the Heisman. The mission statement of the site is as follows:

Welcome to the official website for Heisman Candidate Ray Rice. Throughout the 2007 season, the site will be updated with stats, photos and video highlights as Ray runs his way into the Rutgers record book.

Even better, the New Jersey Star Ledger says that a SeeRayRun themed gift will be sent out to reporters across the country. Speaking from experience, if there’s any way to get the media in your favor, a good meal and a nice gift are excellent starting points. All P.R. directors and media relations departments should take note. Now this is how to promote a player. And it’s much cheaper than buying a billboard in the middle of Times Square.

40-year-olds in baseball, a good thing or bad thing? [Babes Love Baseball]

A tribute to the old geezers in sports [100% Injury Rate]

Kristin Bell looking good, real good [Egotastic!]

NBA clothing style sure has changed, here’s a breakdown [Deuce of Davenport]

Why you should be rooting for Nick Young in the NBA [FanIQ]

Wizards draft possibilities, best player available [DC Sports Report]

What will the Grizzlies do at four? [Mile High Ramblings]

Brooke Burke back to goddess status [Hollywood Tuna]

The storylines in sports that we’re sick of [Wasting Company Time]

A wardrobe malfunction (sort of) at Wimbledon [We are the Postmen]

ESPN GameDay’s kicking off the season at Va. Tech [Awful Announcing]

Commenter JS sends me this story, along with the email subject, “Florida State, you just won the BCS National Championship, Where aren’t you going?” Quite an appropriate title. The Happiest Place on Earth is apparently not so for some people. Namely, four Florida State football prospects.

Walt Disney World ejected four of Florida State University’s top football prospects from Downtown Disney last weekend under its anti-gang, no-loitering policy.
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“I keep thinking to myself, ‘This is crazy,’ ” said Mark Nugent, stepfather of Vincent Williams, football star at Ridge Community High School in Polk County. “Once they realized they weren’t gangbangers, why didn’t they let them go? They took their pictures. They fingerprinted them. And treated them like common criminals.”
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“Is it because they’re all over 6 feet tall and black?” asked Nugent, who is white. “I want the trespass warnings dropped so the kids can visit Disney if they want. And an apology would be nice.”

That…is some messed up stuff right there — so long as the kids were innocent as it’s reported. Jacked up stuff.

Also see SbB and FanHouse.