Ed Price of the NEW JERSEY STAR-LEDGER spotted an odd sign at U.S. Celluar Field (née New Comiskey) in Chicago this week: “NO BOTTLED WATER ON THE BENCH“. Using un-blogger-like investigative skills, he tracked down the reason for the ban on the dangerous liquid: it would make Gatorade very angry.

Gatorade paid a lot for their product to be shown prominently cupping the mouths of Major League ballplayers. If they don’t get their money shot, they will have to seriously consider taking their business elsewhere. And what will dehydrating baseball players do without their electrolyte delivery vehicles? (Besides laying off the caffeine, we mean.)

Read more…

• JOE SPORTS FAN finds that Tony Romo isn’t so enamored with Brett Favre after all:

• Darren Rovell of CNBC pours a 40 in remembrance of the inventor of Gatorade.• The COLUMBIA (SC) STATE hears that the Ol’ Ball Coach is not in the running for any recent job vacancies.

• NEW YORK NEWSDAY beholds the power of free t-shirts.

• During Joe Gibbs’ Tuesday press conference, AWFUL ANNOUNCING spots a vision of ESPN analyst John Clayton:

• For the University of New Orleans basketball team, STORMING THE FLOOR learns there’s no place like (being away from) home.• THE WORLD OF ISAAC takes a fond look back at the brilliant draft picks of Matt Millen.

• AOL FANHOUSE thinks the Tennessee Titans have the worst nickname in sports.

MAN MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR ADD-ON TO MJ’S HOUSE DIES: The ASSOCIATED PRESS reports that Dr. Robert Cade, the University of Florida scientist who invented Gatorade, died today at the age of 80.

Cade’s $43 of drink supplies in 1965 hath now wrought a multi-billion dollar sports drink industry. We all know what Cade was up to in the beginning - supplying a drink that would effectively replace bodily fluids lost during a football game.But the AP has a few more tidbits:

• Cade on the first batch: “I guzzled it and I vomited.” Researcher Dana Shires: “It sort of tasted like toilet bowl cleaner.”

• “It was first tested on freshmen because (Florida) Coach Ray Graves didn’t want to hurt the varsity team.”

Cade didn’t only help the Gator football team with his research. He also studied hypertension and schizophrenia, presumably to aid and assist all those well-balanced UF football fans we adore.