SportsGrinder 02.24.09

We have got to be honest. This is kind of a slow sports day. There were only six NBA games last night, so there isn't much to talk about there. Kansas beat OU in last night's biggest college hoops game. But Blake Griffin wasn't playing so who knows what that says about either team. The biggest brouhaha in the NHL is whether Sydney Crosby is a wimp because he didn't fight Alexander Ovechkin.




Tiger Woods hits the links for the first time in eight months tomorrow, but no one will really care until Sunday if he's in a position to win. Michael Phelps will return to the pool, swimming at a national meet in Charlotte. Officials announced Tuesday that the Olympic great has committed to the Charlotte UltraSwim on May 14-17; his first tune-up for July's world championships in Rome. Gee, that is exciting. Is it time for the London Olympics yet? Because that's pretty much the next time we'll be watching any swimming.

51 cars have entered the field for NASCAR's Cup race in Las Vegas this weekend, which seems to belie the notion that abad economy will cripple motorsports. Neither will Islamic radicals. The Dakar Rally will return to South America in 2010. The race was moved from its traditional route in West Africa because of terrorism fears in Mauritania and was a success this year in the Western Hemisphere. Cool. But they will have to change the name. How about getting a corporate sponsor and calling it "the Drakkar Noir Rally"? Maybe not.

Will Leitch, who we thought left Deadspin months ago, debuted a new column today. "Ten Humans of the Week," according to the author "may or may not work." Leitch will write once a week about ten people. Hence, the name.

For something you might even print and read offline, check out Wright Thompson's story celebrating the remarkable achievements of the 1962 Ole Miss football team. Yeah, the subject matter is a little preachy, Ken Burns-style. But you have to admit that he's got one heck of an opening line. "When I was 5 or 6, because of my dad's political activism in the Mississippi Delta, local white supremacists burned a cross in our front yard."

Oh, and in soccer? A rejuvenated Drogba can lift Chelsea against Juve. Just kidding. Sorry futbol fans. We have no idea who Drogba and Juve are. And isn't Chelsea the place that Elvis Costello said he didn't want to go?