1. LeBron James can’t get a ball into his hands soon enough. Never has a guy gone from plus to minus quicker.

2. Tiger Woods’ desease could also strike LeBron. Fooling with that part between the ears is all it takes to move your game off-center.

3. SI’s Peter King is a treasure. He’s been off for most of the summer, due to vacation and World Cup coverage. He’s back now that NFL camps are open, overcoming the unexpected loss of his brother Bob, and again willing to provide beer and coffee reviews from his travels. Hold the Boston-bias, Pete and have a great year.

4. Something tells me Lance Armstrong is finally going to be exposed for the unpleasant person he is behind the hero worship. His is multi-million dollar business based on seven wins and overcoming cancer. Something tells me those yellow bands should really be green.

5. Pete Carroll remains in first place in the phony league with the most support behind him. Everything Seattle is coming up roses from those who are following Pete. The best draft…playoff prospects…the best book “at bookstores now”…nicest guy…not his mess back in LA…even WR Mike Williams is going to the Pro Bowl.

6. Brett Favre will play for the Vikings this year.

7. Why do the Cowboys come out each July as the Super Bowl favorite? The Cowboys are the poster boys of hype. Everything is great in Big D. Except maybe the defense, RBs, WRs and Romo.

8. After all the “insider” speculation on why Bill Cowher hasn’t taken a head coaching job in each of the past two seasons, shocking word that his wife Kaye, passed away from skin cancer. Instead of taking time to watch his daughters play basketball, do you think her illness might have been a factor?

9. You gotta know that something’s wrong with the NFL pay scale, when Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees are in their final contract years and will make less than Sam Bradford.

10. SI’s Gary Smith does it again with a great story about Floyd Little’s quest for the NFL Hall of Fame. Little goes into Canton with first balloters, Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice and alongside Dick LeBeau in August. Smith’s story chronicles Little’s snub and the perserverance of a fan, Tom Mackie, who continued to lobby for the Bronco great’s induction.

11. Pete Sampras has been hired to help lift Roger Federer’s game. Here’s hoping Pete can hit and spin lefthanded.

12. Ilya Kovulchuk’s NHL contract with the Devils is a twist on reporter’s spin from every angle but what counts. Is it Gary Bettman taking a stand? Lou Lamariello cheating? A legal challenge to the player’s association? The undoing of about 10 longterm contracts that already exist? No, it means Kovulchuk will play for the Devils and the stupid loopholes will be closed.

Nice bit of writing there weaving the Native American Indians into the story after Britain wouldn’t allow the Iroquois Nation into the country last week to compete in the FIL World Lacrosse Championships in Manchester, England. The Iroquois had probably the only very remote chance of breaking up the big two, 2006 defending champion Canada and runnerup United States.

But before we address the U.S.-Canada showdown, let’s talk about what has been good and bad about these championships. The Iroquois aside, the international rules once again threw a monkey-wrench into the pure enjoyment of the game.

In the most glaring instance of a bunch of dopes gathering around a table somewhere and reading a rule book to decide the fate of the medals instead of letting the boys on the “pitch” (as the fields were called all week in Manchester) determine the outcome. Overtime rules and goal differential became the non-competitive way to determine the standings in the elite Blue division which included the destined-to- be-gold-or-silver winners Canada and the United States, as well as England, Japan, Australia and late Iroquois substitute, Germany.

In their infinate wisdom, the powers-that-be, and their silly after-regulation rules, denied England from the medal round after Australia, England and Japan all ended with identical 2-3 records following the Blue division round robin. England beat Japan by a goal in overtime and lost to Australia by two goals in overtime. Japan upset Australia by two goals in overtime, providing the only mathematical situation to deny the host nation from a possible medal.

How can you win by two goals in overtime, you North American lax geeks ask? Well, in the deep wisdom of the international rules TWO five minute periods are played after regulation and if they are still tied after that it goes to sudden death. Before this, Sportscream was all for new proposed NFL overtime rules. Now, after this, we are not so certain. Although the MIL rules could never be similar with the NFL proposals because the NFL only proposes guaranteeing each team a possession, not two timed periods.

Goal differential, in the spirit of the wimpy ways soccer works, became the next factor. Lame coaches (like England’s) in the spirit of getting players into games, and allowing players to go renegade in desperate attempts to score, pretty much conceded losses with time remaining, proving to be the difference that denied England of a great chance to play a medal game and be the feel-good story of the nation.

On the good side, Manchester, England can hold it’s head up proud by providing a first-class venue, terrific support for a growing sport, and vast improvements on communications and webcast offerings of all games. Sure, all webcasts are still very unreliable, buffering and inability to communicate with help to correct billing and technical flaws wasn’t that strong. Either were the broadcasters, whose lack of knowledge bogged down the description of play. But overall it was a great effort by England.

And now for a few words on the Canada-U.S. matchup. With both teams made up entirely of professionals, it’s no surprise why they rule the roost. Nationalism kind of takes a backseat because most of the players are well known and revered across borders by the “the lacrosse nation,” the unique ever-growing fraternity of fans, players and ex-players, parents and kids who helped establish the fashion of baggy shorts and head-snugging baseball caps worldwide.

For years the Canadians have played in the U.S. and gained as much popularity as the native Americans (there we go again weaving in a reference that this time means ALL people native of America). So who to root for? Says here Canada because they are better people. John Grant Jr. remains, in his 30′s and on bad knees, the most exciting and best offensive player ever. As they went through the round robin undefeated, they had smiles on their faces, respect for their opponents no matter how far ahead they were and they appeared to enjoy the away-from-the-field action with the best. On the other hand the U.S. team, led by the ugly Americans including Whinin’ Ryan Boyle, Brendan “the mouth” Mundorf, and Paul “I’m the God of Lacrosse” Rabil, were the joke of the feel good tournament which has put an accent on sportsmanship. After losing to Canada for the title in 2006 and again last Saturday 10-9, the United States is desperate for a win today in order to back their cocky status as they strut around Manchester. Another loss might require a U.S. basketball-like shake-up. And they might benefit from the Jerry Colangelo/Mike Krzyzewski Dream Team’s opening motto “check your egos at the door.”

“The Yankee Years” by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci
Doubleday. 482 pages.

Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci’s book with Joe Torre is a self-serving, second-guessing attempt at slanting the record straight for what Torre might describe as a very successful eleven year reign as Yankee manager. Unfortunately, there were other witnesses to Torre’s stint as Yankee manager. He had been claimed off the scrap heap by George Steinbrenner, after failed managing attempts with the Mets, Cards and Braves. He was, at the time, a “retread,” one of the many professional baseball men recirculated into major league jobs, because of experience and stability. He was dubbed “Clueless Joe” on the back pages the day he was signed and continues as out-of-touch about his years with the Yankees throughout his book.

As an Angels colorman and native New Yorker, Torre may have had a leg up with the big, bad New York media. In his book, Torre takes credit for ten straight years of playoffs, six AL pennants and four World Series. He also takes credit for Bigelow Tea commercials, Billy Crystal, Rudy Giuliani, his wife Ali, and his charity work. It wasn’t his idea to get rid of Bernie Williams or sign the free agent busts Brian Cashman gave him. He seemed to know that A-Rod was as inferior a human being as Derek Jeter was superior, far before anyone. He doesn’t really come out and say that he never made a mistake as Yankee manager, but his biggest regret was not pulling the team from the field in Cleveland during the famous “Midge” incident.

The truth is Joe Torre was a ‘do nothing’ kind of manager. He always sat on the bench, cradling Derek Jeter’s bat, waiting for someone to get the big hit. He didn’t like to bunt. He didn’t like to manufacture runs when things were going slow. His strength was to let the players that Cashman gave him do their jobs and then “handle” the clubhouse (by leaving players alone) and then talk to the press. Torre thinks he lost his control because he was portrayed as taking too much credit for the Yankee successes at the expense of Steinbrenner. He actually saved “taking too much credit” for his book.

In the book, he takes his shots at Roger Clemens, Kevin Brown, David Wells, Jason Giambi and A-Rod. All were timely targets at the time of publication. Thank goodness he shared Clemens’ pre-game routine with us, including the application of red-hot liniment on Roger’s testicles by a Yankee trainer. Hopefully, he at least wore gloves.

Torre took off his gloves whenever he could get in a shot against the Yankee front office of Cashman (backstabber), Felix Lopez (former landscaper), Steve Swindal (fallen heir), Lonn Trost (numbers guy), Randy Levine (“shut the f— up, Randy) and Steinbrenner sons, Hal and Hank. Hal takes most of the shots as Torre recounts commentary. Hank, the one you’d think would have his foot in his mouth, remains in the background. But as far as Steinbrenners go, Torre reserves most of his comments for ‘The Boss,’ George, to tell us about his failing health and loss of faculties, a subject matter the family and business took great pains to protect from the ever-present public eye. Stay classy, Joe Torre.

We are led to believe in 482 pages, that Joe Torre didn’t deserve what he got from the Yankees. Winning with the largest payroll and failing for seven straight years were not reason enough to end his tenure. He blames the competitive changes in market size of the game, paranoidic accusations about the front office, YES Network reporter’s questions, and failure to win without favorites like Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Paul O’Neill, David Cone and Scott Brosius. He talks about “the heartbeat of the game,” but according to Torre, it was always a catalyst, a heroic Yankee player, or himself that delivered the goods.

There’s a curious section toward the end of the book, probably an attempt at padding by Verducci, that goes on about “Moneyball” and the new-age general managers Billy Beane, Theo Epstein and especially Cleveland’s Mark Shapiro. Probably as a backhanded attack at Cashman, somehow Verducci and Torre want us to believe that Shapiro’s proprietary baseball software “DiamondView” is the genius move of baseball. That while Cashman spends millions on the Igawas and Pavlanos, Shapiro spends $10,000 on Fausto Carmona and has fashioned a new power in the American League. Currently, the Indians are locked at the bottom of the AL Central and out of the 2009 pennant race at All Star break and Carmona is laboring in the minors trying to regain his stuff.

But it’s Torre who has the last laugh. He’s the skipper of the best team in baseball, even though the NL West is as weak as it gets. No one in the Yankee Cabinet will admit it, but Torre’s ascension with the glamorous Los Angeles Dodgers adds another weight to the burden of delivering a title to the Bronx in 2009. Maybe he can write another book about it.