• WITH LEATHER notes the Friendly Confines just got a lot friendlier, as SI cover girl Marisa Miller appears at Wrigley Field to throw out the first pitch:

• Tuesday night, SbB gets back in the live blog groove, as we cover Game 2 between the Spurs & Suns. Should be a big hit!

• SUPERSONIC SOUL digs up some old video of David Stern praising Seattle’s Key Arena.

• BASKETBAWFUL follows their nose, as Tyson Chandler gets a whiff of Dirk Nowitzki’s pits.

• This should go well - MONDESI’S HOUSE drinks in news that shirtless Steelers wonder Jeff Reed will be showing up at a minor league team’s Thirsty Thursday game.

• Speaking of the Steelers, DEADSPIN averts their eyes, as Santonio Holmes drops his Terrible Towel.

• RUMORS AND RANTS shows some love for these underappreciated sports flick chicks.

• Clay Travis of CBS SPORTSLINE warns the blogosphere on the price of annuled anonymity on the Internet.

• I’M WRITING SPORTS pitches along news that last season’s Rookie of the Year candidates are experiencing sophomore slumps.

We’re back in L.A. this week. Yes, we’re excited to be home, but our spirits were further raised during our first, senseless, late night trip to 7-Eleven. The store featured a giant, shiny cardboard display of a topless Marisa Miller on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED - right next to the door as you walk out (with hands firmly in pockets).

(Looks like a transfer to Wichita State may be in order)

And while we were in line waiting to pay for our Slurpee™, we were treated to Tommy Lasorda, in an ad over the PA, telling us to where he gets his transmission serviced (no, not Jumbo’s Clown Room - Aamco).

Speaking of SI.com, so about the photo. Read more…

… Next up, someone sues Bill Belichick for pain and suffering over his offensive sideline ensembles.

• Amateur photos from SI swimsuit shoots uncover more evidence that the mag’s models are getting back to what readers really want.

• Kobe Bryant has decided to has decided to play through his pinkie pain.

• Can’t wait for the cross(dressing)-examinations: Oscar De La Hoya meets his pantyhose photographer in court.

Read more…

The SPORTS ILLUSTRATED swimsuit issue no longer compels us to sprint to the newsstand or rearrange our web surfing habits. But we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered that SI finally caught on and made the right call with its swimsuit-less cover girl.

For us, Marisa Miller will go down in history as the greatest non-celeb SI swimsuit-less model in history (that includes Elle). With seemingly all non-porn men’s magazines going with non-stop celebrity covers (enough Eva already!), SI’s call was a refreshing change. Read more…

• THE FOOTIE finds footage of David Letterman revealing the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’s 2008 swimsuit issue featuring Marisa Miller.

• INTENTIONAL FOUL comes across audio of John Rocker throwing Bud Selig under the bus.

• FAN IQ’s 100% INJURY RATE puts up their dukes, as they offer this indoor lacrosse fight.

Read more…