ESPNdeportes.com columnist Enrique Rojas, citing “a source close to Cuban baseball authorities” reports this week that Cuban government officials are “studying” the possibility of allowing Cuban players to sign as free agents with MLB teams.

The deals, which would be overseen by the Cuban government, would apply to players who have played for eight years or more in the country’s professional league.

If Cuba does decide to allow players to freely leave for MLB, there would be conditions. Read more…

I’ve honestly been debating whether I want to attend the World Cup this summer in South Africa. Like many of you, I’m a little concerned about how safe the country will be considering the nation’s reputation for civil unrest.

(22 hours in Coach to Cape Town just got a lot easier)

But those fears have now been calmed thanks to this handy piece of sports merchandise: a team-branded ’stab vest’:

Order a PROTEKTORVEST with your team colours. We have all 32 Team Badges available and many more. Add unqiue messages to your vest! PROTEKTORVEST.COM os the No. 1 in personal protection cloting for the world cup 2010.

The official stab vest of the World Cup. Thanks for that.

But that’s not all, thanks to your team-branded stab vest, you can also connect on Facebook with other people who wear team-branded stab vests.

(Country selection completely random)

Tempting.

Read more…

Jose Lambiet of the PALM BEACH POST reports on a delightful idea the Miami Dolphins recently concocted to generate revenue while also filling out Don Shula’s birthday party with two-legged props:

(Dolphins sent season tix holders to steerage for Shula bday party)

Many of the 80 season ticket holders randomly “invited” to pay $80-per to attend former coach Don Shula’s 80th birthday party Saturday night at Land Shark Stadium are complaining bitterly about the way they were treated at the banquet.

Shula, dozens of his former players, rapper Fergie, new Fins owner Stephen Ross, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other VIPs got the silver spoon treatment.

And the 80 “invited” fans, meanwhile, got partly-cooked hot dogs, dried chicken and soda, all served on plastic plates with plastic forks, Sorentrue said.

They also were bestowed the honor of watching the VIPs munch on their fine foods from a balcony — this, after waiting outside in the cold for all VIPs to get in.

“I’m actually considering cancelling my ($1,700-a-year) season tickets,” 12-year season ticket holder Fred Sorentrue said.

How ungrateful of Sorentrue. Who wouldn’t pay $80 to watch (from a heavily guard, roped-off location) Fergie serenading a bewildered Shula whilst savoring personal proximity to dozens of other local South Florida celebrities. (Give it up for Hank Goldberg!)

The event description from Lambiet hooked me, but accounts from commenters who actually paid $80 to watch Tony Sparano inhale enough langoustines to greenlight another season of Deadliest Catch are truly wondrous.

Read more…

We’ve been waiting all these years for Vanessa Bryant to breakout into the public eye, perhaps now she has her chance?

Egypt Sherrod reports this week that “sources are buzzing that Bravo TV producers are trying to add NBA superstar Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa Bryant to the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County.”

(Kobe and Vanessa Bryant’s daughter Natalie - future reality star?)

Read more…

I would say that we’re all appalled by the Steve McNair-Sahel Kazemi skeleton display for Kings Island Ohio’s Halloween theme, but of course, that wouldn’t be true. If not for the Mark Whickers among us, AOL’s Clay Travis wouldn’t have his exclusive.

(My former colleague, Kings Island p.r. guy Don Helbig, botched this one) 

But to make matters worse the public relations guy for Kings Island, a past acquaintance of mine named Don Helbig, said of the display “There was no reference to Steve McNair at all. No jersey, nothing.”

Crap, Don.

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I’ve always been a fan of Bonnie Bernstein. To my knowledge, she was the original hottie sideline reporter, pre-dating Melissa Stark and Erin Andrews. And she’s aged well. Beautiful lady.

(Bonnie B.: What hath thou forsaken thee?)

So it saddened me last year when she stopped doing sideline game reporting to become a fill-in studio host at ESPN on shows like NFL Live, Outside the Lines, Jim Rome is Burning, First Take and College Football Live. The move was in part due to a serious bout of deep vein thrombosis, as chronicled by USA TODAY in 2007.

Now, thanks to Neil Best at NEWSDAY, come to find out she’s left TV altogether for a radio gig at ESPN 1050 in New York. As you know, I have nothing against radio, it was my life for 16 years - and 1050 is certainly a legit station in the biggest market. But based on her role at the station, I’m a little dubious of the move.

Read more…

Not much to say on this one, from our friends at the Univ. of Memphis marketing department and FOTP:

(Why do I think this just gave UK hoops fans an idea for U of L game?)

Except that it gives whole new meaning to Frosted Flakes.