Larry Brown Sports

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.
…
“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.”
…

“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.

When the email crept into my inbox, I was startled, yet excited. Why would Mayweather take the bait? He said after beating De La Hoya — and receiving a monstrous pay day — that he was done. Not like I believed it, but I figured it would take another huge drawing fight to bring him back to the ring immediately, not just some trash talking. Which from the sounds of things, was all it took to get it done. Mayweather says he’ll beat Hatton all the way back to England (which sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?)

“Ricky Hatton has talked nonstop about fighting me for the last two weeks,” said Mayweather. “He has disrespected me and my accomplishments in the ring, and I take that very seriously. I’m going to give him the opportunity to step up and fight the best in the world. I don’t think this punk will take the challenge.”
…
“Now that Hatton has opened up his big mouth, he might start to think about what he has been asking for,” continued Mayweather. “Does he really want to step into the ring with best fighter of this era and embarrass himself? Being the coward that he is, I doubt he’ll get in the ring. We’ll see what his excuse will be this time.”

Hatton won’t be dodging — he has no reason to. He’s looking to make a name in the U.S., and he’s a skilled fighter. For Ricky, it will be a big pay day. For Mayweather, it’s undoubtedly a challenge. And some money, but not Oscar De La Hoya type. I don’t know why Pretty Boy’s eager to fight Hatton; Hatton is dangerous, Hatton is tough. Hats off to Floyd for showing interest. He’s leaving no room for doubt amongst boxing aficionados by fighting some of the best competition around. Now, we just await the official announcement…

Not that I’m a basketball GM or anything, so it doesn’t really matter but for purposes of debate. And I have already proclaimed that Portland would take Oden, so it doesn’t really make a difference either. But I had an epiphany last night. A little basketball fairy shined down upon me and said the answer was Kevin Durant. This is something I know.

Sure, it’s easier to take Greg Oden. He seems like the safer pick. Take the big, build around him. He can step into the league and dominate, become a 20/10 guy, no problem. Once you have your center, you’re set for the next 10-15 years. Just get a good point guard, a few guys who can shoot, and boom, the game opens up for you. It’s easier to build around Oden. But I’ll be darned if I don’t think Kevin Durant is the special player in this draft.

Durant can do things that no other player can. Sure, he lost in the tourney early — his team went down in the second round. Kevin Durant though, was a beast. The team around him wasn’t very good, yet he took them to new levels. He won games with his rebounding, his shooting, his driving. He scored and made plays in almost every way you could imagine. Durant played defense like he was Shawn Marion, and scored and rebounded like he was Kevin Garnett. He may be smaller and skinnier than Greg Oden, but that didn’t stop him from pulling down double-digit boards on the regular.

It might seem weird because the easy starting point is a big man — a true center — a Greg Oden. But if you ask me, Kevin Durant is the pick. He’s a special, special talent. He can do things that nobody else in the draft can do (perhaps 30/10 a game). And by golly, I’d want him on my team more than anyone else.

Probably the funniest thing I’ve heard about Pacman Jones recently came from my buddy Ben Maller who said it’s like a cartoon — one of those black clouds must follow Pacman around. How does he get into so much trouble? Well, everything has snowballed for Pacman, and things are completely unraveling. He’s now being sued by the stripclub bouncer who got shot and paralyzed. Based on Jeff Fisher’s recent comments that Pacman’s problems are no longer their issue, I figured Tennessee had moved on. Matt Mosley reinforced the issue with this nugget on Hashmarks:

I did talk to a member of the organization last night who said Jones would never play another down for the Titans.

That’s pretty interesting. I can go for that. As for being done in the NFL, I had a brief chat with FanHouse’s finest, Michael David Smith regarding this issue. He mentioned that between the possibility of prison, the possibility of his sentence being extended, and the likelihood that coaches won’t want him, that Pacman could be done in the NFL. I tend to disagree with that notion. The initial team cuts bait to rid themselves of the black eye. But just like Lawrence Phillips, there will always be teams willing to take a chance on talent. Funny to think that Pacman’s done in Tennessee however, I’ll admit that.

I’m not even going to ask if someone can knock him off. I wonder if someone will even take a set from him. That’s going to be the real challenge. On Day 1 at Wimbledon, Roger advanced in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. That’s almost like not even breaking a sweat. He’s going for his fifth straight Wimbledon title, which would tie him with Bjorn Borg for most consecutive titles at the All England Club.

When asked in an interview with Chris Fowler after the match whom he feels will present the greatest challenge, Roger didn’t really have a good answer. He mentioned Roddick’s serve, Hewitt’s ability, and the finals last year against Nadal. He really didn’t seem too concerned. Not in a cocky way, but in a way that suggested the tournament is his for the taking. He’ll win it with ease. The only question is if he can go through the draw without dropping a set. Now that would be awesome.

(photo courtesy Adrian Dennis/AFP)