Ballin’ Mayoral Candidates

Two former NBAers are vying for the mayoralties of two of America’s largest cities. In Detroit, former Piston Dave Bing just picked up the endorsement of the Free Press, and in Seattle former Sonic and Washington State Cougar James Donaldson announced his candidacy.
Obviously, it’s Bing who, if victorious, has the toughest, most impossible job ahead:
Detroit’s [...]

Cricket Diplomacy: The U.S. and Pakistan

Pakistan is destabilized, riddled with terrorist elements, and in possession of nukes, and not even the Dems can agree on how those problems should be handled. But perhaps there’s hope in … cricket? Here’s the Times of India on a new U.S.-hosted cricket tournament that begins in October:
Seven Pakistani players – Inzamam ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, [...]

A Move Against Olympic Terror

The Obama Administration has levied sanctions against Abdul Haq (not to be confused with this Abdul Haq), who attempted to launch terrorist attacks during the Beijing Games:
The Treasury Department’s target was Abdul Haq, head of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party. The action means that any bank accounts or other financial assets found in the United [...]

Jay-Z on Phelps

Rapper/Nets minority partner Jay-Z sounds off on the semi-recent Michael Phelps/doobage tempest in a teapot:
“You look at all these people who graduated from Princeton and Harvard, who are supposed to be pillars of the community – every day [they’re] in the newspaper arrested for some kind of financial fraud,” the New York Daily News quoted [...]

Obama and the World Cup

President Obama, who’s set to aid and abet Mayor Daley’s latest, costliest vanity project, is also now throwing his weight behind the U.S.’s bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup:
“Soccer is truly the world’s sport, and the World Cup promotes camaraderie and friendly competition across the globe,” Obama added in the letter, a [...]

What Does Stevens Decision Mean for Bonds?

The feds have asked that the corruption case against former Alaska senator Ted Stcvens be thrown out. They’re doing so because of some prosecutorial misconduct (not an uncommon thing these days, it would seem). This leads Shysterball’s Craig Calcaterra, who’s a real-life lawyer and everything, to wonder whether this bodes well for Barry Bonds:
The Bonds’ [...]

The Obamas in Britain

While some in the blogosphere are getting the vapors over President Obama’s decision to give an IPod to the Queen, it’s worth noting that the First Lady came up big with her gift to the five-year-old son of PM Gordon Brown:
For yesterday’s return visit, the First Lady gave five-year-old John Brown a little piece of [...]

Pardoning Jack Johnson

Sen. John McCain wants to pardon deceased boxing icon Jack Johnson:
“We need to erase this act of racism which sent an American citizen to prison on a trumped-up charge,” McCain said, adding, “I have great confidence this president will be more than eager to sign this legislation and pardon Jack Johnson.”
The act of racism to [...]

Chicago’s Big Day

Today is the day that members of the IOC will tour Chicago and determine its suitability for hosting the 2016 Summer Games. Chicago will spend roughly $50 million on seducing the IOC, and today marks the “champagne on ice and Barry White CD” stage of that seduction.
The City will cut on the fountains two weeks [...]

Kissinger and the World Cup

Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s former National Security Adviser and Secretary of State and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is now throwing his considerable powers behind the effort to bring the World Cup back to the U.S.:
In a news conference Monday, Kissinger stressed how the World Cup drew record crowds in the United States. But there is [...]