Chad Johnson to report to camp
Fox Sports
Receiver Chad Johnson says he'll report on time for the Cincinnati Bengals' training camp next weekend, but his surgically repaired ankle probably will limit him in practice. Johnson also said Monday he wants to move on from the fallout of his lobbying for a trade, which included threats to sit out the season if the Bengals didn't deal him. The club refused, turning down a lucrative trade offer from Washington.

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Carson Palmer really, really hates Ohio State
USA Today
You can click here to hear Palmer's inflection and judge for yourself just how seriously he meant his mini-rant, but here's the gist what he said after being asked if he was cautious when talking about Ohio State football:

"I don't watch what I say. I cannot stand the Buckeyes, and having to live in Ohio and hear those people talk about their team, it drives me absolutely nuts . . . It's amazing to hear what those guys think about that university and what they think about that football program and (Ohio State coach Jim) Tressel and all the crap I gotta put up with being back there. I just can't wait for two years from now when SC comes to the 'Shoe and I get to hopefully, hopefully we'll have a home game that weekend and I can go up there and watch us pound on them in their own turf and kind of put all the talk to rest. Because I'm really getting sick of it and I just can't wait for this game to get here so they can come out to the Coliseum and experience LA and get an old-fashioned Pac-10 butt-whoopin' and go back to the Big Ten . . . I can't wait."

Now my take...
First of all, spare me on the OSU fans sounding off on Carson. He is a Bengal, not a Buckeye. Just because he plays in Cincinnati doesn't obligate him to like OSU or even stay quiet about his opinion. Buckeye fans are even more brutally honest when it comes to Michigan players, coaches, fans, etc. It's college football.

Carson Clarifies:
“I’m a Trojan all the way, and I was talking to a Trojan audience in California. I guess I got a little fired up, as all good fans will do. But I really do respect the Buckeyes, and I know their fans are passionate, too. I hope they all understand I’m just looking forward to a big game for my school against a very tough opponent, and that it’s all in the good fun of a rivalry. You don’t have a real rivalry unless both sides are great teams.”

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A splitting headache
Enquirer.com
From manager Dusty Baker to outfielder Adam Dunn, many in the clubhouse believe the Reds could have pulled out both two-run losses. Sunday's unraveling was the worst, an up-and-down affair that ended with a Reds defensive meltdown in the top of the 10th inning.

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Keep Dunn
C Trent
Adam Dunn is one of the most productive players in the game and certainly on the Reds -- he leads the team's regulars with a .387 OBP, he's slugging .550, he has 28 home runs, the second-most in baseball, his 63 RBI are a testament not to his skills, but the OBP of those ahead of him in the order, his home run rate of a homer per every 10.7 at-bats is the best in baseball, his 52 runs scored are the second-most on the team. And here's the biggest one, the bomb I've hinted at. He's playing an above average left field.

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Prediction: Browns will miss the playoffs
Dayton Daily News
With home games against Dallas (Sept. 7) and Pittsburgh (Sept. 14), the Browns will start 0-2. They'll beat Baltimore on the road (Sept. 21), then lose at Cincinnati (Sept. 28) and be 1-3. During their Oct. 5 bye, look for quarterback Derek Anderson to be replaced by Brady Quinn for the Monday-Nighter at the New York Giants (Oct. 13). Cleveland will struggle the remainder of the season to get back to .500.

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Former Bearcat inks deal with Ravens
Enquirer.com
David Lee, agent for Haruki Nakamura, said the former University of Cincinnati safety has signed a three-year contract with Baltimore. The Ravens drafted Nakamua in the sixth round.

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Loved the Reds ceremonies on Saturday....BUT...
Let me start by saying that Barry Larkin is my favorite Reds player of all time...has been since I was a kid. But did anyone else find it annoying as hell that he made it a point to mention some Washington Nationals executives by name (including Leatherpants) on a night of Reds celebration?? In my mind, the only thing that he should've said about Washington was something like "Thanks to the Nationals for allowing me to make it back to celebrate with you." Just a thought. Otherwise, a very nice ceremony.

An even more appropriate question is...why the hell is Barry not a member of the Reds front office or bench staff. He absolutely needs to be here, in any capacity.

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Reds weekend roster news
- RHP Jared Burton today went on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to 7/11, with a strained right latissimus muscle. RHP Todd Coffey (#56) has been recalled from Class AAA Louisville.

- On Wednesday, IF/OF Ryan Freel will have surgery to repair the torn distal hamstring tendon behind his right knee. Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek will perform the surgery, after which the club will announce a prognosis for recovery.

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Scouting the enemy
SI.com
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Joe Jurevicius likely will miss the start of the regular season because of his recent knee surgery. Browns general manager Phil Savage told WTAM-AM Thursday that Jurevicius likely will start the season on the physically unable to perform list. Jurevicius would miss at least the first six weeks of the season. Jurevicius had swelling and discomfort in his right knee related to a previous operation and needed another procedure in June.

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Hoosiers' future AD for Complicance changes mind, leaves
ESPN
Less than a month after he agreed to become Indiana University's associate athletic director for compliance services, Chad Hawley has changed his mind about the job. The Indianapolis Star reports Hawley, who last served as the Big Ten's assistant commissioner for compliance, returned to his role with the Big Ten. He also held compliance jobs with the Mid-Continent Conference and Ivy League and at North Carolina State and Appalachian State, his alma mater.

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The Dark Knight shatters records
USA Today
Batman's joust with the Joker has set another box office record. Stoked by fan fever over the manic performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, The Dark Knight set a one-day box office record with $66.4 million on opening day, Warner Bros. head of distribution Dan Fellman said Saturday. The movie's Friday haul surpassed the previous record of $59.8 million set last year by Spider-Man 3. The Dark Knight might break the opening-weekend record of $151.1 million, also held by Spider-Man 3.

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I'm planning to see The Dark Knight soon...but a very important question:
Would you be considered an elitist if you watched a movie in this section? Or just stupid?

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Redskins land Jason Taylor
SI.com
Jason Taylor wanted out of Miami, and Bill Parcells seemed only too happy to trade the "Dancing with the Stars" defensive end. So when the Washington Redskins lost a starting lineman to a season-ending injury Sunday, a significant swap quickly got done. The Redskins gave the Dolphins a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-round choice in 2010 for Taylor, who is leaving the only NFL team he's known.

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Giants deal Shockey to Saints
Fox Sports
The Giants have agreed to trade their disgruntled tight end to the New Orleans Saints for a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick, FOXSports.com has learned. The deal is pending league approval, according to a league source. Shockey must also pass a physical. The compensation is the same the Saints offered New York back in April prior and during to the draft ... and it was turned down.

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A brawl at a soccer game...in Columbus
Columbus Dispatch
An official of the West Ham soccer club today condemned the actions of fans involved in a brawl yesterday at the Columbus Crew match, but said the trip to Columbus was a positive one for the British club. West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury said the club was satisfied that "this was an isolated incident."

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Reds ponder free agents future after Mets loss
Columbus Dispatch
The non-waiver trading deadline is 10 days away, and the Reds have 13 potential free agents, many of whom will be playing elsewhere next season. It is the type of calculus that adds up to a lot of sweaty palms, from the clubhouse to the front office. It is unlikely the Reds could overhaul the roster before Aug.1, considering they do not have a CC Sabathia to trade. It is unknown if they would attempt an overhaul, even if they had the opportunity. Because while it seems clear that the Reds' best hope is to gear up for future seasons, there are folks in the organization who see value in finishing at or above .500 this season.

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No fine for Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction
The three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Federal Communications Commission "acted arbitrarily and capriciously" in issuing the fine for the fleeting image of nudity. A federal appeals court on Monday threw out a $550,000 indecency fine against CBS Corp. for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that ended with Janet Jackson's breast-baring "wardrobe malfunction."

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How does this make sense??
Reds.com
Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn don't have the best batting averages, but Reds manager Dusty Baker doesn't plan on doing anything different with the two sluggers when it comes to filling out a lineup card. Griffey's .236 average and Dunn's .230 average are the two worst of any active everyday starter. Only part-time catcher Paul Bako's (.213) is lower. But Griffey, the No. 3 hitter, and Dunn, the No. 5 hitter, are leading the way when it comes to on-base percentage, and for that reason, Baker isn't planning any changes.

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UK's Patterson's rehab going well
Enquirer.com
We're still about three months from the first practice of the season, but if there is a face to identify with the 2008-09 edition of the University of Kentucky basketball team, it's Patrick Patterson. During his quarterly offseason sessions Thursday, coach Billy Gillispie said the rising sophomore, who missed the last four games last season after suffering a stress fracture in his left ankle, is making great progress.

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Speaking of UK
Louisville Courier Journal
Billy Gillispie could be close to signing a formal contract with the University of Kentucky. The basketball coach said at a news conference today that a pair of meetings with athletic director Mitch Barnhart and university president Lee Todd have been productive, and that a new contract will be on his desk soon. Since he was hired last year, Gillispie has been operating with a two-page memorandum of understanding rather than a formal contract.

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Please, please let me pay 8 bucks for coffee!!
Wall Street Journal
Now that Starbucks Corp. has disclosed the 600 locations it wants to shutter, a phenomenon is taking hold: the Save Our Starbucks campaign. In towns as small as Bloomfield, N.M., and metropolises as large as New York, customers and city officials are starting to write letters, place phone calls, circulate petitions and otherwise plead with the coffee company to change its mind. "Now that it's going away, we're devastated," said Kate Walker, a facilities manager for software company SunGard Financial Systems who recently learned of a store closing in New York City.

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Allison Stokke is back!

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This is Amber Heard....she's gonna be in this movie

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