CUBAN CUBS OFFER SMOKED OUT BY CNBC, DEAL BOGUS: Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell of CNBC shoots down the frenzied speculation that Mark Cuban plans to make a $625M offer to buy the Chicago Cubs: “Before everyone goes nuts about Mark Cuban possibly owning the Cubs, take a step back. Sources are telling me that […]

FUTURE MOM MIA HAMM CAN FINALLY USE HER HANDS: Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm know each other pretty darn well. They played together on the Women’s U.S. National Soccer team for 18 years, retiring together in 2004 (and in since probably you missed it, Tuesday they were inducted together in the National Soccer Hall of […]

SIDELINE LANDSLIDE:

ESPN Radio host Steve Mason, co-host of KSPN’s “Big Show” in Los Angeles, has background on the Hollywood Madam Jody “BabyDol” Gibson, who is releasing a book tomorrow that alleges Tommy Lasorda, Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis all used her service.

Mason notes in his KSPN-AM blog that Gibson’s mother “is a well-known talent agent/manager […]

SbB BULLET JOINT - NHL TO BEAT NBA TO LAS VEGAS: NHL Los Angeles Kings (and AEG) President Tim Leiweke, tells SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL the NHL will probably put a team in Vegas before the NBA: “[NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman] is probably a little more focused on Vegas right now because he has a strategy on […]

ARIZONA’S SHAKY SEASON ASIDE, OLSON WILL BE FINE: The ARIZONA REPUBLIC reports what Arizona fans and media have been whispering about all season: Does Lute Olson have Parkinson’s disease?

Olson finally addressed the matter yesterday: “It’s a vicious rumor that gets passed on. It’s totally false.”
OK, I’m glad that’s out of the way, but then Lute […]

EARTHQUAKE STRIKES CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GAME: That’s the only explanation for this dramatic, albeit unprovoked, fall by Alberto Gilardino of AC Milan in Tuesday’s Champions League game with Celtic:

With that command performance in mind, I think it’s safe to say Gilardino may have missed his true calling:

LAVIN DAZZLES WITH ERIN ANDREWS YOUTUBE TIPOFF: Last night during ESPN’s Michigan-Michigan State college basketball broadcast, announcer Brent Musburger had the good sense during the tight rivalry game to talk about his stock portfolio (which I’m hoping guessing got slaughtered yesterday).

After mentioning Google stock, Musburger’s broadcast partner Steve Lavin said , “How about YouTube? Erin […]

THINGS ARE GONNA CHANGE, I CAN FEEL IT:

OK, maybe not.

Correct us if we’re wrong, but a new policy laid down by ESPN on how it will correct mistakes it has made across its far-reaching entities (TV, radio, internet, magazine, Chris Berman’s hiring) would seem to require the launch a whole new division: Fact checking.
“ESPN has always made corrections,” said ESPN executive editor John A. […]