FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Michael Vick said he expected to be a starting quarterback when he reentered the NFL. When I look at some of the quarterback situations around the league, I think he's right, but I don't really see him as a fit in Philadelphia after watching Kevin Kolb for the past two weeks. The return of Donovan McNabb, as well as having Jeff Garcia under contract, makes Vick a guy to consider trading. He saw limited duty in his first real game and he will get better with more work, but his contract next year probably means he will not be an Eagle after 2009.

NFL.com

> Comment

The 2010 Cubs are beginning to take shape, and it appears those hoping that new owner Tom Ricketts will usher in change are setting themselves up for disappointment. Every indication is that manager Lou Piniella, general manager Jim Hendry and the main core of players will return. Meet the new Cubs, same as the old Cubs.

Chicago Sun Times

> Comment

Most everyone came to the Warriors' start of training camp on Monday to hear what forward Stephen Jackson was going to say about that trade demand he made a few weeks back. But it was Monta Ellis who might have had the most interesting -- and perhaps the most troubling -- thing to say on Day 1. Ellis was asked a relatively innocuous question about playing alongside rookie Stephen Curry, and responded emphatically that the two smallish guards weren't going to be able to play together. "Us together? No," Ellis said. "Can't. We just can't. ... Just can't." Someone then jumped in and said to Ellis: "Do you understand, they (the Warriors and coach Don Nelson) say you can?" "They say you can?" Ellis repeated. "They say you can ... but you can't. I just want to win and you're not going to win that way."

fanhouse

> Comment

There are those who think Jacques Lemaire almost ruined the N.H.L. back in 1995, when he installed the neutral-zone trap for the Devils and coached them to their first Stanley Cup. Now that Lemaire is back coaching the Devils after an 11-year absence, people are asking whether the Devils will return to the antihockey that worked for them a decade and a half ago. And that clearly irritates Brendan Shanahan. Shanahan is not alone. Other Devils express frustration at a perception of Lemaire they say is outdated or just wrong. Several said that the emphasis during training camp and preseason had been on offense.

New York Times

> Comment

For a coach typically conservative with his words, Jim Tressel's reaction to the one-game suspension of senior safety Kurt Coleman qualifies as outrage. Tressel and OSU athletic director Gene Smith issued a joint statement that calls the Big Ten's decision "poor judgment," a shockingly honest opinion. The Buckeyes clearly feel the fact that Coleman was removed by the coaches after the hit was enough of a reaction. And though the Big Ten went by rules that said hits can be reviewed after the game, Smith and Tressel called out the officials for not ejecting Coleman from the game if the hit was really that bad.

Cleveland Plain Dealer

> Comment

The USA-Honduras World Cup qualifier set for Oct. 10 in Honduras is still set to be played in San Pedro Sula, but continued political upheaval is making it far from a certainty with fewer than two weeks to go. Right now the U.S. Soccer Federation isn't making comment yet, but with less than two weeks to go before the USA-Honduras qualifier, the chances of the qualifier being moved or postponed are growing. With political protests expected to take place this week, if things worsen, and if protests go from peaceful to violent, the unstable situation in the country could make holding a soccer match there unlikely. As far as the World Cup qualifier goes, as of Monday no decision has been made about moving it and FIFA has stated its preference of holding the match in Honduras. FIFA will make the ultimate decision, with input from the federations and CONCACAF.

Soccer By Ives

> Comment

Kimbo Slice talked about his relationship with UFC President Dana White, who had verbally assaulted Slice relentlessly for years until Slice agreed to compete on The Ultimate Fighter. "It's not like we sit down together for tea and toast, but we're businessmen. He's a promoter and I'm a fighter. We do what we do." Kimbo's first - and possibly only - fight on The Ultimate Fighter takes place this Wednesday night on Spike TV.

FightLine

> Comment

Forty-five cars are the preliminary entry list for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Price Chopper 400 this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Wood Brothers Racing's Bill Elliott won't be guaranteed a spot in the field as Bobby Labonte will be the most recent past champion who is driving for a team not in the top 35 in the owner standings. Labonte is in the No. 71 TRG Motorsports car for Kansas and would get the past champion's provisional if he needs it. If he gets in on speed, then Elliott would be eligible for the past champion spot in his Wood Brothers car.

Scene Daily

> Comment

Before we put East Lake Golf Club in the rear-view mirror and bid farewell to the 2009 FedEx Cup playoffs, one memorable nugget from the Tour Championship surfaces. Paired together for the eighth time this season, Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington in Saturday's third round rekindled memories of an earlier, more infamous, tournament. That's because late on the back nine they were placed on the clock. It led a few walking officials and media members to snicker. In August, of course, Woods and Harrington were put on the clock in the fourth round of the Bridgestone Invitational. That came at a time when Harrington led, but he seemingly rushed things at the par-5 16th, made a triple-bogey, and lost to Woods. Woods later criticized rules officials, but neither player had much to say about Saturday's "clocking."

golfweek

> Comment

Andre Agassi will take on Mikael Pernfors of Sweden in the opening round of the 2009 Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprize, Ariz., to be played October 8-11. The match will mark Agassi's debut match on the Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over.

Tennis Week

> Comment