Sidelines

My apologies to Joe Blanton

Thanks to WKYT and WVLK's Drew Deener whose e-mail Sunday reminded me of an oversight. In my Sunday column on how as a state Kentucky has turned out more first-round draft choices in baseball than in football and basketball combined over the last 10 years, I left off the name of Oakland A's pitcher Joe Blanton, the former UK star who was born in Nashville, but who played his high school baseball at Franklin-Simpson.

Only two Kentuckians (Tim Couch in 1999 and Shaun Alexander in 2000) have been taken in the first round of the NFL draft over the past 10 years. Only two Kentuckians (Scott Padgett in 1998 and Rajon Rondo last year) have been taken in the first round of the NBA draft.

Here are the Kentuckians taken in the first round of the MLB draft over the past 10 years:

• Player                  Hometown             Year           Team             Overall
• Austin Kearns       Lexington               1998          Cincinnati         7
• Matt Ginter          Winchester             1999          White Sox        22
• Chris Burke           Louisville               2001          Houston           10
• Jeremy Sowers      Louisville               2001          Cincinnati         20
• Joe Blanton           Franklin                 2002           Oakland           24
• Chaz Roe              Lexington              2005           Colorado          32
• Ben Revere           Lexington               2007          Minnesota        28

Seth Davis picks the upset

Sports Illustrated and CBS' studo analyst Seth Davis picks Kentucky to upset Florida 77-76 on Saturday.

"In front of the wild denziens at Rupp Arena, including a certain fetching movie-star brunette," writes Davis. "I say UK will capture a little magic and pull off the upset."

Here's the rest of his UK-Florida entry and the rest of his weekend picks.

Top Texas prep quarterback could be headed to Baylor

Former UK coach Guy Morriss could land one of the nation's top prep quarterbacks on Sunday. That's when G.J. Kinne, a senior-to-be from Gilmer, Texas, will make a verbal commitment to either Morris' Baylor Bears or Florida.

Kinne was the AP Class 3A Texas Offensive Player of the Year last season. His father, former Baylor linebacker Gary Joe Kinne, is an assistant coach on Morris' staff in Waco.

The younger Kinne did have Tennessee on his list, but scratched the Vols when narrowing his choices to Baylor and Florida.

[Foxsports.com] [Dallasblog.com]
 

Liveblog: NBA draft

Live blogging while watching the NBA draft:

• 10:41 -- Signing off now, but I wouldn't be surprised if Rajon Rondo ended up somewhere other than Boston. After all, why would the Celtics want two 20-year-old point guards? That's what  Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers now have with Rondo and Sebastian Telfair.

• 10:40 -- Ok, here's what it looks like, by team, we think:
  
  • Atlanta-Shelden Williams
  • Boston-Rajon Rondo
  • Charlotte-Adam Morrison
  • Chicago-Tyrus Thomas, Thabo Sefolosha
  • Cleveland-Shannon Brown
  • Dallas-Maurice Ager
  • Golden St-Patrick O'Bryant
  • Indiana-Shawne Williams
  • L.A. Lakers-Jordan Farmar
  • Memphis-Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry
  • Minnesota-Randy Foye
  • New Orleans-Hilton Armstrong, Cedric Simmons
  • New Jersey-Marcus Williams, Josh Boone
  • New York-Renaldo Balkman, Mardy Collins
  • Orlando-J.J. Redick
  • Philadelphia-Rodney Carney
  • Portland-LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Sergio Rodriguez, Joel Freeland
  • Sacramento-Quincy Douby
  • Seattle-Saer Sene
  • Toronto-Andrea Bargnani
  • Utah-Ronnie Brewer
  • Washington-Oleksiy Pecherov

• 10:30 -- Portland finishes the first round by taking David Beckham. What? Sorry, it's Joel Freeland, a center from England. Portland will now try to trade for every other pick taken in the first round.

• 10:29 -- Have to say I agree with comment below concerning Danny Ainge having something up his sleeve. Rumors still out there about Iverson coming to Boston, so maybe Rondo could end up a 76er.

• 10:25 -- New York takes Mardy Collins, senior guard out of Temple. I agree with Bilas. Good, safe pick. You just expected the Knicks to do something crazy.

• 10:24 -- I think a Beastie Boy just tried to push Mark Jones down.

• 10:22 -- Knicks are on the clock, and considering Balkman pick, Randolph Morris might not be out of the question. True, he can't be drafted. But do you think New York knows that?

• 10:21 -- I stand corrected concerning earlier bewilderment about Saer Sene. Roscoe Nance in USA Today had Sene going 18th.

• 10:19 -- David Stern revokes Dallas' pick at No. 29 just to watch Mark Cuban blow his top. Just kidding. Mavs take Maurice Ager from Michigan State. Dickie V. likes Ager. Dickie likes everybody.

• 10:15 -- Phoenix takes Sergio Rodriguez, who the Suns will trade the to the trade-happy Blazers.

• 10:10 -- Jordan Farmar from UCLA is picked by the Lakers. Another point guard.

• 10:08 -- Here's the picks taken at No. 21 over last five years:
  • 2005-Nate Robinson, Washington, by Phoenix
  • 2004-Pavel Podkolzinc, Russia, by Dallas
  • 2003-Boris Diaw, France, by Atlanta
  • 2002-Qyntel Woods, Juco, by Portland
  • 2001-Joe Forte, North Carolina, by Boston

• 10:03 -- Cleveland takes Shannon Brown from Michigan State. Good solid pick, but at this point in the draft, it's a roll of the dice. Bilas loves him. Anthony loves the pick.

• 10:01 -- Just took a peek at the Boston roster. If in fact he is traded to the Celtics, Rondo will play. But will he play in front of Telfair?

• 9:59 -- Less than 15 minutes after Rondo is picked, ESPN airs a Yukon Denali commercial. You couldn't make that up.

• 9:58 -- Bilas just said that Lowry could beat up Rondo.

• 9:56 -- Memphis picks Kyle Lowry from Villanova. Suddenly there's a run on point guards.

• 9:53 -- Connecticut has four first-round draft picks and no title.

• 9:51 -- New Jersey takes Josh "Cleopatra" Boone. I'm not a Boone fan. Not a first-round guy.

• 9:49 -- Dickie V. takes it to Rondo saying Boston made a mistake. Celtics should have taken Williams, says Vitale.

• 9:47 -- Marcus Williams goes to New Jersey as the second point guard taken, behind Rondo.

• 9:45 -- So Rondo was taken two spots in front of Tayshaun Prince (23rd) in 2002, the only other Tubby Smith signee to be picked in the first round.

• 9:43 -- Bilas on Rondo, "He can't shoot it at all." Predicts that Rondo will be a better player in pros than college. Greg Anthony doesn't seem to be impressed. Anthony likes Marcus Williams better. Stephen A. seems confused, thinking that Phoenix is going to keep Rondo. Maybe he didn't hear Katz.

• 9:42 -- The Suns do take Rondo, who they will supposedly ship to Boston. Now how strange would it be that Rondo and Telfair end up on the same team. Rondo was set to go to Louisville, but U of L held off in hopes of getting Telfair. By the time Telfair decided to go pro, Rondo had committed to Kentucky.

• 9:40 -- Katz says Celtics are trying to get back in draft to take Rondo. So Boston wans Telfair and Rondo?

• 9:39 -- I've seen Balkman for three years. He's a sleeper all right. He was asleep for much of his Carolina career.

• 9:37 -- Do you think anyone over at UK is looking for a lost fax right now?

• 9:35 -- Knicks take Renaldo Balkman from South Carolina. Figures. Best line of night, after Stern says Renaldo is not here, Patrick says, "And it's probably a good thing." Bilas is stunned. Hey, it's Isiah. It's the Knicks. Balkman is now the third SEC player taken ahead of Rondo.
  

• 9:31 -- They love Isiah in New York, don't they?

• 9:29 -- The Kings actually take Quincy Douby from Rutgers, who is not in New York. A 6-3 guard. Douby before Marcus Williams? I would have taken Thurman.
  

• 9:28 -- Going by the movie trailer, with the next pick, the Sacramento Kings take Uma Thurman.

• 9:26 -- Spike Lee, the last living Knicks fan, is in the house.

• 9:25 -- Response to comment No. 4 below: You're right. So much for that you don't have to be able to shoot to play in the NBA.

• 9:22 -- Buoyed by Ukraine's showing in the World Cup, Washington takes Oleksiy Pecherov.

• 9:21 -- Someone just interviewed Danny Grainger, who apparently did not want to go on camera to talk about Indiana's pick. Or there was no camera around. Now we have Larry Bird. We can hear him. But we can't see him. Things are falling apart for the world wide leader. Maybe Dan Patrick will be traded for Shane Battier.

• 9:20 -- Apparently nobody wants a point guard.

• 9:16 -- Indiana picks Shawne Williams from Memphis. Williams is not in New York. "Little bit of a stunner," says Bilas. Loads of potential. Young. But huh?

• 9:15 -- Has Ric Bucher gotten Shane Battier traded yet?

• 9:11 -- I agree with Bilas on Carney ("no middle game") but I tend to agree with Bilas. Still no point guards have been taken. Not Marcus Williams. Not Justin Farmar. Not Rondo.

• 9:10 -- Chicago, picking for Philadelphia, selects R --- Rodney Carney from Memphis. Bet Rajon's heart skipped a beat there.

• 9:06 -- It's official. Rondo is not a lottery pick.

• 9:04 -- New Orleans takes Cedric. Oklahoma City takes Simmons. Put them together and he's the 6-9 guy from North Carolina State. Oooh, Dan Patrick just took a shot at Herb Sendek, saying Simmons didn't get a chance to show his ability because of N.C. State's style of play.

• 9:03 -- Answer to comment No. 3 below: Rondo is not in New York. He was not invited by the league.

• 8:59 -- Utah picks Ronnie Brewer from Arkansas. He's the second SEC player taken in front of Rondo. Not that we're counting.

• 8:55 -- The hard-working Katz says the Swiss guy is actually headed to Chicago. Doesn't anyone want to keep the guy they drafted.

• 8:54 -- Philadelphia just took someone named Thabo from Switzerland.

• 8:52 -- David Stern makes it official. Portland has just traded its entire roster. More later.

• 8:51 -- To the comment (see comments at bottom of post) about the EA Sports commercial with Adam Morrison, is that the one with him talking about crying?

• 8:49 -- Philadelphia is on the clock and Roscoe Nance in USA Today this morning projected that the Sixers would take Rondo. We'll see.

• 8:47 -- New Orleans/Oklahoma City just took Hilton Armstrong out of Connecticut. He could be a good player. He could also be a bust. Needs to develop.

• 8:46 -- Sounded like Redick just stuck it to Stuart Scott with a "I don't think you ever complimented me."

• 8:41 -- Off to the Magic Kingdom for J.J. He's taken by the Magic. Sorry, but ain't sold on him as a pro. Basing that on his performance against an athletic LSU. Guess what, Dickie V. loves it. "Terrific choice," says Dickie.

• 8:39 -- That is bottled water at Redick's table, right?

• 8:38 -- Yeah for Stephen A. He's right. Why spend the 10th pick on a project just to save a few bucks.

• 8:35 -- The night's first big upset. Seattle takes Muhammad Saer Sene from Senagal. Said to be a very raw project who no one, no one, had going this high.

• 8:34 -- Portland can't sit still. Katz says the Trail Blazers will get Brandon Roy from Minnesota for the rights to Randy Foye.

• 8:26 -- Turnover David Stern. He said Golden State had the 10th pick. Actually it's the ninth, and Warriors take 7-footer Patrick O'Bryant from Bradley. Good pick. Not ready yet, but he could be ok.

• 8:21 -- Houston picks Rudy Gay. Bucher says Gay will be traded to Memphis for Shane Battier. Bucher is bound and determined to get Battier out of Memphis.

• 8:16 -- Boston takes Randy Foye from Villanova, who will be promptly shipped to Portland. Question: Would you rather have Foye or Sebastian Telfair?

• 8:10 -- Boston is on the clock, but the Celts are picking for Portland. The Blazers were hoping Roy would be here. Might the Blazers make another trade? Ric Bucher says Portland may trade pick to Memphis for Shane Battier.

• 8:07 -- T-Wolves take Brandon Roy. Great pick. I love Roy as a pro.

• 8:02 -- Minnesota is on the clock. Wolves are supposedly looking at Randy Foye. But I'm guessing Rudy Gay.

• 8:00 -- Atlanta makes its ineptness official, choosing Williams with the fifth pick. What? Just a handshake with J.J. Redick? No man-hug? I'd have picked Marcus Williams here. And, oh yeah, here's a shock, Vitale thinks taking the Dookie is a good choice.

• 7:59 -- Tyrus Thomas has on a purple tie and a purple sweater-vest. Guess that is LSU's purple.

• 7:57 -- Atlanta is on the clock. The Hawks need a point guard in the worst way, yet they are supposed to be in love with Shelden Williams, who has a face only a mother could love. Then again, these are the Hawks.

• 7:54 -- Portland does take Thomas. He's the highest SEC player taken in the draft since another LSU player, Stromile Swift, went No. 2 to Vancouver in 2000.

• 7:53 -- Oh, no, it's Dickie V. Do they use a satellite to get Vitale from Florida, or does his voice just carry?

• 7:52 -- Portland is on the clock. But it's really Chicago's pick. This is where the Bulls get Tyrus Thomas.

 

• 7:50 -- Greg Anthony just called Morrison "the best prospect in the draft."

• 7:49 -- Surprise, surprise. Charlotte takes Adam Morrison from Gonzaga. So the "next Larry Bird" ends up with the Bobcats as the third choice. I think Morrison will be a very good pro. Love his intensity.

• 7:45 -- Charlotte is on the clock. I say Bobcats go for Brandon Roy. Of all the players in this first group, I like Roy the best long-term.

• 7:43 -- Bulls do take Aldridge, but will ship the Longhorn to Portland for that fourth selection and surely some other stuff. Aldridge was terrible in Texas' loss to LSU in the NCAA regional final.

• 7:42 -- Super sleuth Andy Katz says Bulls are trading pick to the Blazers and will take Aldridge.

• 7:39 -- Chicago is on the clock. Reports say the Bulls may already have an agreement with LSU's Tyrus Thomas.

• 7:37 -- Toronto takes Andrea Bargnani. I'm already 0-1. Bilas has already said this guy's no Dirk Nowitzki. Guess that means he could make a field goal in the fourth quarter of an elimination NBA finals game.

• 7:36 -- Looks like Dan Patrick got a haircut.

• 7:32 -- Latest nbadraft.net mock has Rondo going at No. 26 to the Lakers.

• 7:30 -- Toronto is on the clock. I say the Raptors pull a fast one, pass on the Italian, and take LaMarcus Aldridge from Texas. If they do, it's a bad pick.

• 7:20 -- News already that could effect ex-UK guard Rajon Rondo on his night of nights. Boston was supposedly high on Rondo, maybe even high enough to take the Louisville native with the No. 7 pick. But the Celtics have traded for former Louisville signee Sebastain Telfair, a rookie last year with Portland. The Trail Blazers now have the seventh pick, though the Celtics actually still have the spot and will pick for Portland.

• 7:15 -- We're strapped in for a full night of Screamin' Stephen A. Smith.

U.S. Cup leftovers

For Thursday's column about the U.S. in the World Cup, I e-mailed all the boys' high school soccer coaches in town for their thoughts. But it's summer. Not all teachers/coaches check their e-mails on a daily basis during the summer months. I know. I'm married to one.

A couple of coaches replied late, but had interesting things to say.

Starting with Henry Clay coach Charles Atinay:

"I just now read the e-mail just after watching the (U.S.-Ghana) match.  I
can tell you that I was disappointed in our effort and intensity in the
first half as well as the call on the penalty kick against the U.S.  The
U.S. did seem to get some pretty tough calls in group play.  Yet, having
scored only one goal in 270 minutes (3 games) of World Cup play indicates a
team not deserving to advance as well as the fact of giving up six goals in
three games (2.0 Goals Against Average).  While Claudio Reyna, Brian
McBride, and Casey Keller (who I have played while at I.U. ['87-'91] with a
1-0 win over Keller's Portland side[ that was undefeated] in the national
semifinals on our way to a 1-0 win for the national championship against
Howard in 1988 who's goalkeeper Shaka Hislop is currently playing for
Trinidad & Tobago), I feel as though it was noticeable by their play and
their leadership on the field that it was their farewell appearance.  Coach
Arena and the U.S. should have played a more motivated and energetic side
that played more together leading up to the World Cup.  There was too much
inconsistency and individual play.  We should have found our rotating 14 or
15 players and played them consistently the entire past year and through all
of the qualifying and friendly matches to create better chemistry."

And from Lexington Christian Coach Tim Slighter, who replied before the U.S. loss:

"I think soccer will continue to grow as a sport in the US regardless of the outcome of the US World Cup team today.  The youth recreational programs, the developmental teams and clubs, and the indoor opportunities in winter make soccer a year round sport. However, I think that if the US team can advance today it will create some excitement that could help the sport to become more popular- especially in the sports media circles that so quickly dismiss the sport and minimize the impact it has world wide."

Liveblog: World Cup

Liveblog from my den while watching the U.S.-Ghana match:

• Post -- Davies takes up for Arena.

• Post -- Best thing that could happen for U.S. soccer is people being upset about this result, demanding answers, questioning strategy. Worst thing would be if no one cares.

• Post -- Yes, Tommie Smith is on. Love this guy. But spare me the griping about the bad penalty kick call. Even if Ghana doesn't score, it's a 1-1 tie and the U.S. still does not advance. Smith makes good point about why was the ball in the box in the first place.

• Post -- So U.S. finishes last in Group E with no wins, two losses and a tie.

• Post -- Wynalda on Arena, "The horseshoe fell out of his back pocket." Both Wynalda and Foudy make good points about the 4-5-1 alignment. Not a scoring set up and the U.S. scored just one goal of its own the entire three games. After Czechs beat U.S. 3-0, the Czechs were outscored a combined 4-0 by Ghana and Italy.

• Post-match -- Foudy is already knocking Arena for waiting too long to change up his lineup, i.e. inserting Eddie Johnson. Now here comes Wynalda, who says, "I want to be the first to say that Bruce Arena screwed up this World Cup for the U.S."

• Final -- Ghana wins 2-1. Ghana and Italy advance from the group. U.S. goes home.

• Stoppage time -- A minute of stoppage time left and you can tell the U.S. has all but given up. Arena shaking head. Four years of preparation for a winless Cup.

• Stoppage time -- Balboa just made excellent point. U.S. didn't lose it here. Lost it in that terrible 3-0 lost to Czech's last week. Put the Americans in a deep hole.

• Stoppage time -- Five minutes of stoppage time.

• 90th minute -- Ghana nearly scores. Ball deflected. Eould have been the killer. Insult to injury.

• 89th minute -- Italy wins 2-0. That doesn't make this U.S. showing any better, unfortunately.

• 85th minute -- Italy is up 2-0, by the way. Not that it will do the U.S. any good. At the moment.

• 83rd minute -- Convey misses open shot. Ball sails wide. Bruce Arena looks perplexed. And beaten. It'll take a miracle now.

• 81st minute -- Ghana called for foul just outside box. U.S. gets an indirect. Donovan's kick is way off, over the goal. Terrible kick. No American is even close. Wasted chance.

• 79th minute -- Great leaping save by Kingson. The Ghana goalie is down. Holding his leg. Clock is ticking. Crowd is booing.

• 77th minute -- Off goes a Ghana player on a stretcher. Those stretchers don't look very comfortable. Straight boards. Bet the player is back on in about two minutes.

• 74th minute -- Bobby Convey comes in for Lewis. Last sub for U.S. Convey has fresh legs. Americans need all the help they can get.

• 71st minute -- Clock is ticking and, remember, a tie does the U.S. no good. It must win, which means two more goals. There have been no goals scored, on either side, this half.

• 68th minute -- Man!! Another header goes just over top of the goal. If U.S. can keep up this type of pressure maybe they can find an acorn.

• 66th minute -- McBride just headed it off the woodwork. Hits the left post. That would have tied it. U.S. keeps up the pressure, but can't get it in the goal.

• 63rd minute -- Ghana messes up a near-breakaway as U.S. makes a nice block to stop the opportunity. Could have been disasterous. Now a very open game with plenty of counters, especially by Ghana.

• 60th minute -- Eddie Johnson is coming in, much to the delight of Balboa and probably plenty of other U.S. fans. He hopefully can give the Americans some much-needed offense. Clock is ticking.

• 58th minute -- Dempsey shot finds Ghana goalie, but at least it's a shot. The clock is ticking.

• 54th minute -- Here comes the stretcher again. A Ghana player is down in front of the goal. U.S. getting ready for a corner. Beasley's left-footer is blocked.

• 52nd minute -- Just showed a stat that U.S. has taken three shots on goal, Ghana five.

• 50th minute -- Donovan tries to set up Beasley, but Beasely just stands there. Fails to make a run. Clock is ticking. Where's Eddie Johnson?

• 46th minute -- Hate to be pessimistic, but just can't see U.S. scoring two goals this half.

• Halftime -- Julie Foudy and Eric Wynalda, ESPN's studio analysts, are pretty good.

• Halftime -- Ghana leads 2-1. Plenty of controversy over the penalty kick. But it doesn't look good for the Americans. Can they score two more goals?

• Stoppage -- U.S. called for a foul in the box, giving Ghana a penalty kick. Looked like a bad call. Ghana GOAL!!!!!! Ghana leads 2-1 in the second minute of stoppage time. Nothing Casey Keller could do.

• 43rd minute -- U.S. GOAL!!!! Perfect attack with DaMarcus Beasley making a perfect cross to Clint Dempsey (right) for goal and a 1-1 tie. Americans are back in it. First American goal in this Cup scored by an American.

• 40th minute -- U.S. picking up the pace some, getting more chances. No goals. But at least they're showing a little more life. Reyna is now leaving. Guess he really was hurt. The bearded Olsen takes his place.

• 35th minute -- Landon Donovan just took a shot that will be crossing over Berlin at any minute.

• 34th minute -- The long-haired guy, Marcelo Balboa, is exactly right. The U.S. is not playing with much urgency. Has no one told them what's at stake?

• 29th minute -- Ghana nearly scores again. Quick counter almost produces goal. Would have been devastating for U.S. to fall behind 2-0. Americans are definitely the slower team.

• 26th minute -- Good news. Italy just scored to take a 1-0 lead on Czechs. For U.S. to advance, Italy must win. Reyna is back in the game.

• 22nd minute -- Ghana GOAL! Terrible mistake by Reyna allows Ghana to score easy goal for 1-0 lead. Reyna is down on the ground, holding leg. I'd be down, too. Reyna just had ball taken from him almost right in front of U.S. goal. Now they're taking Reyna off on stretcher.

• 18th minute -- Lewis back in.

• 15th minute -- Another cut. Brian McBride gives blood in Italy match. Now Eddie Lewis takes a cut above the eye and has to come out. U.S. a man down. Got a corner kick anyway, but Dempsey's header goes directly to Ghana goalie.

• 9th minute -- I highly recommend Michael Davies' World Cup blog.

• 7th minute -- Another yellow card! Come on. I agree with the long-haired guy. Too early for so many yellows. The Ghana yellow was just a good, hard foul.

• 3rd minute -- Good sign early as U.S. is actually taking shots on goal and playing in the Ghana box. For a team that has scored one goal -- one Italy actually knocked in -- aggressiveness is good.

• 2nd minute -- Just showed that graphic saying U.S. is 0-8-1 in World Cup games in Europe.

• Pre-game -- O'Brien just said betting houses in London have made Ghana a 6-5 favorite. Other bad news has U.S. sticking with 4-5-1 alignment which is driving commentators nuts.

• Pre-game -- As promised, in my big blue chair in front of my non-HD TV ready for U.S.-Ghana. Also have my box of Cheez-It. Very important accessory. Bad news is Dave O'Brien. Sure he's a nice guy. Met him once when he used be on the Georgia football network. But he's not my favorite soccer play-by-play guy. And what's the deal with the color guy's hair, anyway?

• Pre-game -- I do think having the kids standing with the players during the national anthems is a nice touch. Maybe they got that from UK Hoops.

World Cup

I admit it. I'm hooked on the World Cup. Perhaps it is the influence of my two kids involvement in soccer, but I've watched at least a portion of nearly every match through the first week and found the whole thing terrificially entertaining.

Some observations:

• The Germany-Poland match, with Germany scoring in the first minute of stoppage time, was magnificent. Some scoff at the notion a 0-0 game for 90 minutes could be thrilling, but there was breath-holding drama in the final minutes with Poland, playing a man down, trying to keep Germany from scoring. You felt for the Poles when the Germans finally broke through.

• ESPN/ABC should have stuck with its usual soccer announcers over Dave O'Brien, who is too intent on talking about everything but the soccer.

• You have to love the Irishman Tommy Smith.

• I was disappointed with Brazil in its 1-0 opening game win. As everyone else has said, Ronaldo looked out-of-shape.

• I think the U.S. will play better Saturday, but can't see the Americans beating the Italians. Short World Cup for our boys.

• Unwritten World Cup rule: When falling to the ground make sure you look you will never be able to rise to your feet again.

• Argentina, a 6-0 winner over Serbia this morning, looks very good.

• The melodrama that is England is especially humorous. Reading the British press, you would think the English are 0-2 instead of 2-0 after two matches. Still, you have to be impressed with Posh Spice's husband.

• The Houston Chronicle reports that last weekend only the opening two games of the Heat-Mavs game, both in primetime, outdrew the Sunday afternoon Mexico-Iran match in local Nielsen ratings. The NBA's Game 1 drew 11.5, Game 2 drew 10.5. Mexico-Iran drew 8.7.

• The U.S.-Czech match was the highest rated show on ESPN2 thus far this year.

College notes

News and notes from the colleges:

• Looks like UCLA may be losing star point guard Jordan Farmar. After playing well at tryouts and pre-draft camp, Farmar is likely to leave his name in the June 28 NBA draft. [Los Angeles Times]

• Cincinnati basketball switching from Nike to adidas. [Cincinnati Post]

• College football has adopted rule change that starts clock after a change of possession, in hopes of speeding up those long, long games. [Tennessean]

• Bruce Pearl says two, maybe three freshmen could start for his basketball Vols next season. [Tennessean]

• Memphis' Darius Washington wants to prove his draft critics wrong. [Commercial-Appeal]

• Rajon Rondo still 26th in one mock NBA draft. [nbadraft.net]

• Tennessee-California and Arkansas-Southern Cal will form an ESPN doubleheader on Sept. 2. [viewfromrockytop]

• Michael Wallace says Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco should turn down LSU and stay in Oxford. [Clarion-Ledger]

• Younes Idrissi will not be back on the Georgia basketball team. [GeorgiaDogs.com]

• Alabama wonders if it has seen the last of its baseball coach, Jim Wells. [Huntsville Times]

• Kevin Scarbinsky wonders the same thing. [Birmingham News]

Roger wrap-up

Leftovers from "Roger Clemens Night" at Applebee's Park:

• The announced crowd of 9,222? The 9,000 part, ok. But 222? On a night when No. 22 was pitching. Of course.

• Then again, the Astros have set Clemens’ first outing for the parent club is June 22. Coincidence? We think not.

• Clemens’ two youngest  children served as batboys. Kacy is 11. Kody is 10. Kory Clemens, 18, sat in a suite with mother, Debbie.

• Two of Clemens’ sisters, Brenda Pavlovich and Janet Johnson, were also on hand.

• The Houston Chronicle reported that Roy Lee, Clemens’ uncle, and the brother of his deceased mother Bess, drove in from Carlisle, Ohio for the game.

• One of the night’s neatest moments came when fans applauded Lake County’s Johnny Drennen after the first-year player homered off Clemens in the first inning.

• So how did Clemens’ look from a pitching standpoint? Pretty sharp for someone who had not faced a batter since the U.S. was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic on March 17.
• He threw 4 1/3 innings that night, allowing six hits and two runs. He threw 73 pitches.At Applebee’s on Tuesday, Clemens threw 62 pitches. He faced 13 batters in three innings. He threw eight first-pitch strikes. He had seven swinging strikes.
• He reached a full count just once, then prompted the Lake County batter to fly out to the warning track in center.
• He did throw 40 strikes, not 41. Hitting Lake County’s Marshall Szabo counts as a ball, of course.
• Lake County fouled off 13 pitches, including the foul tip by Fornasiere that was caught by catcher Jeff Mackor for the final out in the third.

• Clemens will throw on the side Thursday. He is scheduled to pitch for Corpus Christi, Houston’s AA affiliate, on Sunday.

• Knocking elbows in the confined main press box at Applebee’s were representatives of the Houston Chronicle, New York Times, New York Post, Boston Globe, Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Post, ESPN.com. And oh yes, a couple from the Herald-Leader. Most everyone else was located in the press tent down the right-field line.

• Clemens told the Boston Globe last night that his final two choices were the Astros and Red Sox.

• As a pre-game gift, Astros senior vice president Jay Lucas sent Clemens a DVD copy of “Major League: Back to the Minors.”

• The Clemens return could effect the Major League team up I-75. The same night Roger got it rocking again, the Reds pulled within a game of the first-place Cardinals. Plus, Houston just put star pitcher Roy Oswalt on the disabled list. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I could help,” said Clemens.

• Roger wore a Texas Longhorns cap and an orange shirt to the post-game press conference. The shirt was a lighter shade, more akin to Tennessee orange.
• "Chris Burke would be happy,” said Clemens of the Astros’ outfielder, a Louisville native who played his college ball at Tennessee.

• The promotion that prompted son Koby to inform his famous father that a strike out in the top of the third “gets everyone in the stadium free washer fluid,” was sponsored by Advanced Auto Parts.

• Son Koby did work out with his father, but skipped the grueling abdominal work his father utilizes. “He’s the abs power freak,” said the son.

• Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. and Tim Raines Jr. and Sr. are the only father-son combinations to play in a major league game.

• -Koby Clemens was on ESPN’s “Mike & Mike” radio show this morning.

• Roger: “I want to thank the organization for somewhat of a circus atmosphere.”

• Clemens was asked what advice he would give to parents with children in youth sports.
• "Sit back and enjoy it," said Clemens. "Don't forget how hard the game is. It's a hard game for us much less a 10-year-old or a 12-year-old. . . . On the ride home, turn off the radio, and talk to him about his at-bats and the plays in the field. Use that 15 minutes on the drive home to talk about the game."
• One more piece of advice from Clemens: "It doesn't take talent to hustle."

Liveblog: Clemens

Live blogging from Applebee's Park on the night that Roger Clemens pitches for the Lexington Legends:

• Postgame -- Clemens said he was happy with his performance. He said he could have gone two or three more innings, but is not ready to push it. He and son Koby said the most fun was getting to play with each other.
  • Clemens wore a Texas Longhorns hat to the post-game press conference.
  • "It really hit me when the national anthem was being played," said Koby.
  • Koby on his Dad's performance: "He was throwing the cheese by them like usual."
  • Clemens is to stick around three more days before heading back to Texas. "I think Koby will be the happiest person to get me out of here," said the father.
  • Clemens on what he wants out of his next start, for Round Rock: "Everything just needs to get sharper."

• 8:18 p.m. -- I'm shutting it down, too. For awhile. Have to drop anchor and write for the dead-tree version. Will be back later with post-game notes. If not before.

• 8:15 p.m. -- As Mark Maloney just pointed out, Clemens will leave the Legends with an ERA of 3. Clemens had an ERA of 1.87 last year in the National League. "Just shows how tough this league is," joked Mark. I think he was joking.

• 8:13 p.m. -- On the night, Clemens allowed three hits and one run in three innings. He struck out six without walking a batter. He threw 62 pitches, 41 for strikes. He departed with Lexington leading 5-1.

• 8:09 p.m. -- The Rocket is done. He gave up a hit and hit a batter in the third inning but did not allow a run. He struck out his final batter when Matt Fornasiere fouled into the catcher's mit. After that pitch, Clemens tipped his hat and pointed to the Lake County dugout. He then removed his cap and waved to the crowd who gave him a standing ovation. A moment later, Clemens came back out of the dugout for a curtain call.

• 8:02 p.m. -- Ooops, Clemens plunks batter Marshall Szabo, who has to have the trainer come out and attend to him at first base. The hit batter came on Clemens' 52nd pitch.

• 7:57 p.m. -- Juan Valdes, not the coffee guy, hits a ball off Clemens up the middle that is flagged down by second baseman Eric King. Alas, King can't make the play. Basehit.

• 7:54 p.m. -- The report in the press box is that the home run by Drennen came on a Clemens' splitter that hung. Thus far, the Rocket has topped out at 92 miles per hour.

• 7:52 p.m. -- Tommy Manzella cranks a three-run homer to give Lexington a 5-1 lead. If only Clemens could take this offense with him to Houston.

• 7:47 p.m. -- Legends' catcher Jeff Mackor was just hit by a pitch. You know what that means. Clemens is obligated to hit a Lake County batter, preferably the catcher.

• 7:45 p.m. -- In his first trip to the plate, Koby Clemens flies out to center.

• 7:41 p.m. -- Clemens breezes through the second inning 1-2-3. He strikes out two. His pitch count for the inning is 17 and 38 for the night thus far. Legends lead 2-1. Of the 38 pitches, six have yielded swinging strikes.

• 7:39 p.m. -- A Clemens pitch comes close to hitting Lake County's Fernando Pacheco in the right knee. This draws a cheer from the crowd.

• 7:30 p.m. -- By the off chance you might actually be interested in the game itself, Lexington has just taken a 2-1 lead, thereby getting its starting pitcher off the hook. For now.

• 7:25 p.m. -- At this rate, Clemens' stint would be limited to three innings.

• 7:18 p.m. -- After a double by Matt Fornasiere, Clemens strikes out Mike Conroy to end the inning. He threw 21 pitches, giving up two hits and one run, with those two Ks. Of the 21 pitches, 14 were strikes.

• 7:14 p.m. -- With two out, Lake County's Johnny Drennen drives a home run to right field off the Rocket. Drennen gets a big ovation and much applause when he touches home plate.

• 7:11 p.m. -- Clemens strikes out the first batter looking on four pitches.

• 7:07 p.m. -- After a stirring singing of the national by 8-year-old Brandon Stewart, Clemens knelt and autographed a ball for the member of the Little League Reds who had accompanied him to the pitcher's mound.

• 7:03 p.m. -- Clemens' introduction as the Legends take the field brings a standing ovation.

• 6:59 p.m. -- Elton John is playing on the public address system. Yes, "Rocket Man." ("Gonna be a long, long time . . .")

• 6:58 p.m. -- It's not the packed park that grabs your attention. It's the left and right field lines. Both are packed wall-to-wall with standing room onlys. Waiting.

• 6:55 p.m. -- Coming in from the bullpen after his warmups, Clemens stopped and shook the hand of each member of the Southwest Little League Reds that will go out with the Legends when the home team takes the field. How cool is that?

• 6:49 p.m. -- Clemens name was just announced with the Legends starting lineup to a brief boost of applause.

• 6:45 p.m. -- J.R. Towles has to be kicking himself. Towles is the regular Legends catcher. He would be catching a Hall of Famer tonight. Would be. Towles was suspended three-games for his reaction to being fined for arriving late for meeting. The club also said that Towles had not been treating an injury as instructed. Jeff Mackor was brought in from high-A Salem to catch Clemens.

• 6:43 p.m. -- Lost in the circus is that the Legends are actually in the middle of a pennant race. With 13 games remaining, counting tonight, Lexington as a game and a half lead in the race for the first-half pennant.

• 6:35 p.m. -- A huge mass of humans have assembled on the grass down the right-field foul line to watch No. 22 warm up in the Legends' bullpen. He is doing so with a Legend imitating a stance at the plate. Meanwhile, out at second base, the Legends ground crew is painting the team logo and the No. 22 into the dirt.