Dutch-born Greg Halman, an outfielder for the Seattle Mariners in 2010 and 2011, was stabbed to death Monday in Rotterndam. His younger brother was arrested in connection with the crime.

“A 24-year-old died this morning in a stabbing and we have arrested the 22-year-old brother of the victim,” a police spokesman told Rueters.

Halman played baseball in a number of countries including France, Germany, Spain, Poland, and Italy before ultimately signing with the Mariners when he was just 16 years old. After six years in the minors, he was called up to the majors last year.

He played in 35 games for the Mariners last season, scoring seven runs and holding a batting average of .230 before being sent back down.

Known for his infectious smile and passion for the game, Halman had a tattoo of a baseball that looked like a globe with the words “My World” next to it. He also wanted to share his love of the game by encouraging European youth to play.

“Greg was passionate about the game of baseball and generously gave of himself to share his passion with others in an attempt to help grow the sport’s popularity across Europe. He will be sorely missed,” said Michael Weiner, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

According to Jim Gardner of ABC 6 News, JoePa’s time at Penn State has come to an abrupt end.

Penn State Board of Trustees announces that Joe Paterno will not coach another game. Assistant coach Tom Bradley is interim coach. President Graham Spanier has resigned. Penn State Provost, Rodney Erickson has been named interim President.

Mike McQueary and Tim Curley are still employed.

Joe Frazier is in his most important fight – against advanced liver cancer. Leslie Wolff, Frazier’s manager for seven years, says the former heavyweight champ was diagnosed four or five weeks ago and is currently in hospice.

Frazier’s illness was first reported by the New York Post. Unfortunately, sources close to the 67-year-old boxer say he is seriously ill and only has a short time to live.

Smokin’ Joe was a tenacious fighter who kept pressure on his opponents, wearing them down. His fierce left hook accounted for most of his knockouts and often ended fights early.

He is also the first boxer to beat Muhammad Ali in what was dubbed the “Fight of the Century’’ in 1971. Frazier knocked Ali down in the last round of the brutal fight, winning with a unanimous decision.

While Frazier’s first bout with Ali is highly celebrated, it is their third and final fight that is the most famous. The “Thrilla in Manila,” held in the Philippines in 1975, was to determine who was the legitimate Heavyweight Champion between the two bitter rivals.

The fierce battle was made even more difficult by the searing heat in the arena. Frazier’s eyes became so swollen that he was nearly blind, causing his trainer Eddie Futch to end the fight after the 14th round, despite the boxer’s protests. Ali later said, “It was the closest I’ve come to death.’’

Frazier and Ali’s war of words have continued through the years, broken up by periods of reconciliation. In an interview with Sport Illustrated in 2009, Frazier seemed to have let go of his animosity.

Frazier’s friends have not given up hope, saying the champ needs all the prayers he can get. He has ours.

Kansas City lost to the Baltimore Ravens 30-7 in Sunday’s wild-card round, officially ending their season. Next up for the Chiefs is finding a replacement for Florida-bound Charlie Weis, and according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the Chiefs are “strongly considering” Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy

It’s not the first time McCoy’s name has been tossed around. Last week, Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star thought he’d be someone to keep in mind.

“One candidate who would make plenty of sense is Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. He’s young, has experience, and possesses some of the skills the Chiefs not only want — but also need.”

McCoy joined the Broncos in 2009 as Josh McDaniels was hired as head coach, and eventually took over play-calling duties when McDaniels was fired.

PHOTO CAPTION: Mike McCoy shows quarterback Tom Brandstater the size of the stack he’ll ask for in Kansas City.

Prior to joining the Broncos, McCoy held several offensive positions with the Carolina Panthers including wide receivers coach and quarterbacks coach. He coached three different starting quarterbacks (Vinny Testaverde, Matt Moore, and Jake Delhomme) to at least one win in the same season.

Todd Haley is searching for his third offensive coordinator in just three years, and with McCoy’s contract with the Broncos finished, this could be a great fit.

A gunman opened fire outside of a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Arizona, yesterday killing six people and wounding 14 others. Today it has been revealed that one of the victims was 9-year old Christina-Taylor Green, granddaughter of Phillies senior advisor and former manager Dallas Green. Her father, John, is a scout for the Dodgers.

The third grader, who had just been elected to her student council, was at the store with her neighbor to attend U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ meet-and-greet when the gunman shot Giffords and then began spraying the crowd with bullets. While Green survived the initial shooting, she was later pronounced dead at University Medical Center.

Green played second base as the only girl on her little league baseball team. She also enjoyed dancing, loved animals and wanted to attend Penn State when she was older.

The sad irony is that Green was born on September 11, 2001. Someone who represented a symbol of hope on one of the worst days in American history is now a victim of terrorism.

Congresswoman Giffords was shot in the head but is in critical condition following surgery. She cannot speak but is able to communicate with simple commands. Doctors are “cautiously optimistic.”

The other five people killed have been identified as Gabe Zimmerman, an aide to Giffords, Chief Judge John Roll of the U.S. District Court for Arizona, 76-year-old Dory Stoddard, who was trying to shield his wife, 76-year-old Dorothy Morris and 79-year-old Phyllis Scheck.

Wow! This story took a strange turn. We just mentioned that Junior Seau was arrested for domestic violence early this morning. It turns out that after being released he drove his SUV off a cliff in Carlsbad, CA.

Seau survived the crash but did sustain injuries. Based on these pictures of the crash from TMZ we’re not surprised. He has been taken to the local hospital.

Update: Witnesses have told police the crash looked intentional, but Seau reportedly sustained only small cuts and bruises. He is currently at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.

Update: Seau’s ex-wife claims the car crash was just an accident and that he would never hit his girlfriend.

We have a feeling there’s a whole lot more to this story…

Former NFL and USC football great Junior Seau was arrested early this morning in San Diego.

The incident allegedly occurred against his live-in girlfriend, but there is no word on her condition. Seau was booked into the Vista Detention Facility and released around 3:20 AM.

Photo Caption: The Junior Seau Foundation aims to “educate and empower young people through the support of child abuse prevention efforts.” But once you turn 18, all bets are off?

Seau was the fifth overall pick of the 1990 draft and played 13 years with the San Diego Chargers. He later played with the Dolphins and Patriots. He is a nine-time All-Pro and 12-time Pro Bowl selection as well as a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

Seau announced his retirement (for the second time) in early 2010.

The rumors heated up last night and it seems that the deal is finally done. Randy Moss is now a Minnesota Viking.

The Patriots were not going to resign Moss at the end of the year so they wanted to get as much as they could right now. What thy ended up with is a third round pick in 2011. Moss was originally traded to the Pats in 2007 for a fourth rounder.

So, Moss heads back to the team that originally drafted him in 1998 where he’ll play with QB Brett Favre. What does that mean? I won’t be able to turn on ESPN for the next week without hearing a slurp job about Favre. Again.

OK, what it really means for Minnesota, according to Tom Caplan is:

What Moss will give them is a badly needed downfield passing threat, which was missing once Rice had his surgery. Say what you want about Moss, but he does one thing very well, and that’s being able to run past defenders. See the game against the New York Jets where he ran by CB Darrelle Revis as an example.

I guess all good things must come to an end.

The Fanatic races out to show the fans there is actual food to eat at Citizen's Bank Park.

Tonight the Phillies lost 5-2 to the Mets ending an 11-game winning streak. This little fan was a bit too preoccupied to notice.

No, she wasn’t eating some Chickie & Pete’s Crab fries. Wasn’t a Schmitter either. It was a good ‘ol fashioned boogie. As of 10:30pm there were more than 10 videos up of her on YouTube. She might become as well known as the little girl who threw back her dad’s foul ball, but we’re guessing her parents wish she wasn’t.

Well, that didn’t take long. After just one play in Friday night’s preseason game against Kansas City, Eagles WR DeSean Jackson left the game with an upper back injury.

Photo Caption: DeSean shows us how many times you need to hit him before his back gives out.

Safety Eric Berry popped Jackson, whose previous back strain caused him to miss several practices during training camp. No word on just how serious the injury is, but he will not be returning to the game.

Update: In the post-game press conference, Andy Reid clarified that it was a neck strain. Jackson will be day-to-day but is still expected to start Week 1.

Terrell Owens took to Twitter to write, “Hoping 2 b a Bengal w/in the 24hrs!!” And according to a source familiar with the situation, T.O. will sign with the Bengals tomorrow when he heads to Georgetown for training camp.

SportingNews.com

The Bengals were his first choice, giving him a chance to team with close friend Chad Ochocinco, who has already dubbed the pair Batman and Robin. The Bengals made an offer on Monday, and Owens accepted a day later.

Quarterback Carson Palmer… helped bring Owens to Cincinnati. Palmer worked out with Owens in California and called coach Marvin Lewis, saying the team ought to try to sign him.

Owens will reportedly sign a one-year, $2 million deal with another $2 million in incentives. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said the incentives were “very reachable” and indicated that they are consistent with his production last year in Buffalo.

If you can’t wait until the fall to see the flashy duo, reality TV can help you out. Ochocinco’s dating show called “Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch” is currently running on VH1 with Owen’s “The T.O. Show” airing right after.

There was a pretty scary moment during the fourth inning of the Giants game tonight when outfielder Eugenio Velez was struck in the head by a foul line drive into the dugout.

Velez was standing with his teammates when Pat Burrell sliced a fastball towards the visitor’s benches causing players to scatter and knocking Velez off his feet. Team physician Ken Akizuki and other team trainers tended to his head injury for quite some time. They eventually removed Velez on a stretcher, wearing a neck brace, and he was immediately take to the hospital. The team is reporting that he is doing well (considering) but will remain overnight for observation.

UPDATE: Velez has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a head contusion and concussion.

Georgia athletic director Damon Evans was arrested in Atlanta last Wednesday after being pulled over by a state trooper for driving erratically.

In the car with Evans was 28-year-old Courtney Fuhrmann, who is not his wife. Or daughter. She is “just a friend.” And she must be a pretty good friend because when she decided she didn’t want to wear her underwear anymore, Evans graciously offered to keep the red panties safe in his lap. Ladies, why are the good ones always taken?

The officer, who immediately smelled alcohol, asked Evans to take a field sobriety test. Evans responded by pulling the “I’m kind of a big deal” card.

Photo caption: Evans is such a big deal, he doesn’t have to stay awake while being booked.

“I am not trying to bribe you but I’m the athletic director of the University of Georgia,” said Evans. He then asked if the officer could just give him a warning. Not to be shown up, Fuhrmann decided she couldn’t possibly sit in the car like a lady and was arrested herself.

Evans gave an emotion press conference speech where he announced he was not going to resign, but we have a feeling it’s not really up to him. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t record this PDA telling students not to drink and drive that is was played before games. OK, it would still be bad.

We think the whole thing is the University’s fault. With a measly salary of only $550,000 how was Evans supposed to afford a taxi? Ridiculous.

Mittens is the most enthusiastic soccer fan in the OTR newsroom

The FIFA World Cup will begin this Friday and the OTR newsroom is getting ramped up. Since Americans are finally showing some interest in soccer, ESPN has stepped up its plan for this year’s broadcast. It’s about time.

All 64 matches will be broadcast live with any games on ESPN or ESPN 2 also being shown on ESPN360.com. But the biggest improvement is that Martin Tyler will be the lead commentator. During the last World Cup the American broadcast was so boring at times that we found ourselves switching to Univision. And we no habla Español.

So here it is, the 2010 World Cup schedule. We’ll be updating it as the matches progress so be sure to bookmark the page.

*All times are EST

Fri 6/11
10:00 a.m. — South Africa vs. Mexico — Group A (1:1)
2:30 p.m. — Uruguay vs. France — Group A (0:0)

Sat 6/12
7:30 a.m. — Korea Republic vs. Greece — Group B (2:0)
10:00 a.m. — Argentina vs. Nigeria — Group B (1:0)
2:00 p.m. — England vs. USA — Group C (1:1)

Sun 6/13
7:30 a.m. — Algeria vs. Slovenia — Group C (0:1)
10:00 a.m. — Serbia vs. Ghana — Group D (0:1)
2:30 p.m. — Germany vs. Australia — Group D (4:0)

Mon 6/14
7:30 a.m. — Netherlands vs. Denmark — Group E (2:0)
10:00 a.m. — Japan vs. Cameroon — Group E (1:0)
2:30 p.m. — Italy vs. Paraguay — Group F (1:1)

Tue 6/15
7:30 a.m. — New Zealand vs. Slovakia — Group F (1:1)
10:00 a.m. — Ivory Coast vs. Portugal — Group G (0:0)
2:30 p.m. — Brazil vs. Korea DPR — Group G (2:1)

Wed 6/16
7:30 a.m. — Honduras vs. Chile — Group H (0:1)
10:00 a.m. — Spain vs. Switzerland — Group H (0:1)
2:30 p.m. — South Africa vs. Uruguay — Group A (0:3)

Thu 6/17
7:30 a.m. — Argentina vs. Korea Rep. — Group B (4:1)
10:00 a.m. — Greece vs. Nigeria — Group B (2:1)
2:30 p.m. — France vs. Mexico — Group A (0:2)

Fri 6/18
7:30 a.m. — Germany vs. Serbia — Group D (0:1)
10:00 a.m. — Slovenia vs. USA — Group C (2:2)
2:30 p.m. — England vs. Algeria — Group C (0:0)

Sat 6/19
7:30 a.m. — Netherlands vs. Japan — Group E (1:0)
10:00 a.m. — Ghana vs. Australia — Group D (1:1)
2:30 p.m. — Cameroon vs. Denmark — Group E (1:2)

Sun 6/20
7:30 a.m. — Slovakia vs. Paraguay — Group F (0:2)
10:00 a.m. — Italy vs. New Zealand — Group F (1:1)
2:30 p.m. — Brazil vs. Ivory Coast — Group G (3:1)

Mon 6/21
7:30 a.m. — Portugal vs. Korea DPR — Group G (7:0)
10:00 a.m. — Chile vs. Switzerland — Group H (1:0)
2:30 p.m. — Spain vs. Honduras — Group H (2:0)

Tue 6/22
10:00 a.m. — Mexico vs. Uruguay — Group A (0:1)
10:00 a.m. — France vs. South Africa — Group A (1:2)
2:30 p.m. — Nigeria vs. Korea Republic — Group B (2:2)
2:30 p.m. — Greece vs. Argentina — Group B (0:2)

Wed 6/23
10:00 a.m. — Slovenia vs. England — Group C (0:1)
10:00 a.m. — USA vs. Algeria — Group C (1:0)
2:30 p.m. — Ghana vs. Germany — Group D (ESPN)
2:30 p.m. — Australia vs. Serbia — Group D (ESPN2)

Thu 6/24
10:00 a.m. — Slovakia vs. Italy — Group E (ESPN)
10:00 a.m. — Paraguay vs. New Zealand — Group E (ESPN2)
2:30 p.m. — Denmark vs. Japan — Group F (ESPN)
2:30 p.m. — Cameroon vs. Netherlands — Group F (ESPN2)

Fri 6/25
10:00 a.m. — Portugal vs. Brazil — Group G (ESPN)
10:00 a.m. — Ivory Coast vs. Korea DPR — Group G (ESPN2)
2:30 p.m. — Chile vs. Spain — Group H (ESPN)
2:30 p.m. — Switzerland vs. Honduras — Group H (ESPN2)

This has been a rough year for Philadelphia sports fans. Their already tarnished reputation only got worse after a little tix for tricks issue, some tasering, and the now infamous projectile vomiting incident. So when this video of a child drinking beer at a baseball game surfaced, it wasn’t hard to beleive it happened in Philly.

TV cameras apparently caught the child twice taking a swig from the bottle in the Citizens Bank Park bleachers. The adults don’t seem to really take notice, but who can blame them. They were probably too busy cursing out the Phillies for blowing the lead to the Padres.

We really don’t see this as a big deal. In fact, we think it’s kind of funny. Most likely there was nothing left in the bottle anyway. The real problem is that the national media has picked up the story. Now along with the idea that Philly fans are so rotten they hate Santa Claus (no one bothers to learn the real story), we can add school kids get wasted and start fist fights in the stands.

The Flyers and Blackhawks may be battling it out in Chicago, but there was another important game for the City of Brotherly Love tonight. Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay retired 27 batters, earning him a perfect game. Halladay was coming off a rough game against the Red Sox where he gave up seven runs in less than six innings.

The Phillies beat the Florida Marlins 1-0 because of an error by center fielder Cameron Maybin that allowed Wilson Valdez to score from first.

Halladay’s performance was the second perfect game in the majors this month alone. On May 9, Oaklands Dallas Braden was perfect against Tampa Bay. The only other Phillies pitcher to throw a perfect game was Jim Bunning in 1964.

Colorado Rockies President Keli McGregor was found dead this morning in a Salt Lake City, Utah, hotel.

McGregor was on a business trip with team chairman and CEO Charlie Monfort and executive vice president Greg Feasel. When his associates could not get a hold of him on the phone, someone entered his room and found him unconscious.

Around 11 a.m. the local police were called to the Grand America Hotel. Paramedics arrived on the scene but were unable to revive him. McGregor was 48 years old.

“Words cannot describe the level of shock and disbelief that we all are feeling this morning at the loss of Keli,” team Chairman and CEO Charlie Monfort said in a statement.

“Our thoughts, our prayers are with [his wife] Lori and the entire family as we all try to cope and understand how such a tragic loss could occur with such a wonderful man.”

McGregor had worked for the Colorado Rockies organization since 1993. He became the team president in October of 2001.

The cause of his death is unknown, although police said they did not suspect foul play. Our thoughts go out to his family.

The rumors were right, Big Ben has managed to get himself out of trouble once again. District Attorney Fred Bright announced today that he will not be filing any charges against the Steelers’ QB after a Georgia college student recently accused Ben of sexually assaulting her at a nightclub.

“We are not condoning Mr. Roethlisberger’s actions that night,” Bright said. “But we do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes.”

Adding, “I know when I have a case and I know when I don’t. And I do not have enough evidence to convince 12 jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Roethlisberger was guilty of rape.”

PHOTO CAPTION: Could anything in this picture be part of the reason he gets himself in trouble? Make your own photo caption in the comments section.

Doesn’t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement of his innocence. But then again the 20-year-old accuser also decided not to press charges, which she announced in a letter through her lawyer.

Bright went on to say that both the student and Roethlisberger were drinking that evening (no surprise there), but there was simply not enough evidence to determine for sure what went on in the bathroom. The woman was examined after the incident but the doctor could not say for sure that she was raped and the DNA that was found was not enough to test.

There is sad news to report today as word spreads of the death of Matt James, a top Notre Dame prospect. James died early this morning in Panama City, Florida after an accidental fall from his third-floor hotel balcony.

From maxpreps.com

James was a senior at Cincinnati’s St. Xavier High School who passed on Ohio State to sign with Notre Dame. The 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive lineman earned a scouts grade of 80 according to his ESPN U’s college recruiting page.

“James is an athletic offensive lineman that has good foot agility. He is a tall and lean offensive tackle that is a towering player on the field. Leads with his hands in both the run and pass game.”

James was just one week short of his 18th birthday.

Adam Schefter announced today that the Eagles and Browns have finalized their deal.

Schefter tweets:

“Filed to ESPN: Eagles-Browns make 5-player deal: Browns get CB Sheldon Brown, LB Chris Gocong; Eagles get 4th and 5th rd picks, LB Alex Hall”

That brings the Eagles to 10 picks for draft day: 1st, 2nd, two 3rds, two 4ths, 5th, 6th and two 7ths.

This is a brilliant trade by the Eagles, who have tons of great defensive players and can afford to part with guys like Sheldon Brown who can actually play. But it’s better that everyone is perfectly happy with their contracts. Who wants guys that can actually make plays?

We’re very excited to announce that this week on “G. Cobb in the House” Alan Page will be joining us! OTR’s Micah will be co-hosting with former Eagle Ray Ellis so be sure to listen in at 7pm EST and call 1-888-346-9144 with your questions.

Page spent 15 years in the NFL building an impressive career as a “Purple People Eater.” Alan’s Wiki page speaks for itself:

During Page’s 15-year NFL-tenure, the Vikings won an impressive four conference titles. Page played in 218 consecutive games without an absence, during which he recovered 22 fumbles, made 178½ sacks (Vikings-138½, Bears-40), and scored three touchdowns (two on fumble recoveries and one on an interception return). He also had three safeties, the second most in NFL history. He set a career-high in sacks with 18 in 1976 and is unofficially credited with 5 other seasons with 10 sacks or more.

While in the NFL, Page earned All-Pro honors six times and made second-team all-league three additional times. He was voted to nine consecutive Pro Bowls. Eleven times he was voted All-Conference, in 1968 and 1969 as All-Western Conference and 1970 through 77 and 1980 as an All-National Football Conference.

In 1971, Page was named both the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (the first player to be named such) and the AP’s NFL Most Valuable Player. Page was the first defensive player to be named MVP since the award’s inception. In addition, he was voted the NEA NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1973.

As if that wasn’t enough, Page attended law school at the University of Minnesota during the height of his football career. He became Minnesota’s first African-American Supreme Court Justice in 1992. He was reelected in 1998 and 2004.

Page is also an ardent defender of equal education for children. He is the founder of the Page Education Foundation, which assists minority youth with post-secondary education.

If you haven’t heard of the “Pants on the Ground” guy from American Idol, you probably live under a rock. General Larry Platt’s audition for the show became the first big viral video of the year.

Last week, Viking’s quarterback Brett Favre chanted the song in the locker room after his team beat the Cowboys. And this week, the team flew the General in to perform the song for them live during a team meeting. Luckily, left tackle Bryant McKinnie caught the whole thing on video.

Platt will also be on the sideline for today’s game against the Saints.

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has been “terminated with cause effective immediately.” Leach was recently suspended after allegations surfaced that he twice locked receiver Adam James in a cold electrical closet because James had a concussion and wasn’t going to practice. People tend to look down on that type of stuff, so the firing should not come as a surprise, right? Well, it may not be so straight forward.

Photo Caption: “Sorry, coach. I would love to run the stairs, but my dad’s Craig James.”

There has been tension between Mike Leach and the school ever since the coach’s last contract battle. If Leach were still employed tomorrow, he would have been owed an $800,000 bonus. If he was fired without cause, he would receive $1.6 million from the school. Funny timing.

There have also been reports that Adam James was a pain in the butt. CBSsports.com recently received emails from current and former Texas Tech players and coaches trashing the sophomore.

Inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley was particularly critical of James in his e-mails. Riley said that James was one of three receivers sent to run stairs as discipline for unsatisfactory work.

“He [James] complained to me that we were not doing our jobs as coaches and that his effort was just fine … It’s just another example of Adam thinking that he knows more about coaching than people who have been coaching their entire lives. I have no doubt that anger from this led to where we are today … and is his way of trying to “get back” at us coaches.”

Former player Eric Morris wrote that the team felt “negative energy” from James who expected the team “to baby him” because he was the son of a famous player. Portraying James as a malingerer doesn’t necessarily address the allegation that the player was mistreated. However, the school has not been forthcoming with any hard evidence against Leach. The coach said in a statement that he was not being offered “[due] process” in the investigation. Leach also stated that he would never intentionally harm any player.

Concussions are being taken more seriously than ever, and rightfully so. Obviously no player should be punished for not being able to practice – or punished in that manner at all. But the timing and politics seem very suspicious.

Chad Ochocinco was interviewed today about the passing of his friend Chris Henry. He fought back tears as he talked about the last time they spoke and how Henry was trying to do the right things in his life.

HBO Real Sports host Bryant Gumbel announced today that he had a malignant tumor, and part of his lung, removed two months ago. He broke the news while filling in for Regis Philbin on “Live! With Regis and Kelly.”

When Kelly Ripa asked Gumbel to dance during a segment, he declined saying he had a doctor’s note. He told the shocked audience about his surgery, and how some aggressive cells had escaped which warranted further treatment.

“We had told a few people, we told my family, obviously,” Gumbel said. “I even kept it from my staff at Real Sports.” HBO said Gumbel didn’t miss an episode, taping shows on both Sept. 15 and Oct. 27.

Gumbel said he’s meeting with his surgeon and oncologist next week and hopes to be cleared to play golf.

“We hope,” he said. “We HOPE, it’s over.”

Danica Patrick has finally made it official – she’s giving NASCAR a try. The popular Indy-style driver will participate in a limited number of Nationwide Series races in the No. 7 Chevrolet car, owned by JR Motorsports.

“The exact number of races has yet to be decided, but they will be mainly before and after the March-to-October schedule of races in the Izod IndyCar Series, Patrick said at a news conference in Phoenix, where she lives.

As a stepping stone to her Nationwide races, Patrick said she would start by driving in a race Feb. 6 in the second-tier ARCA stock-car series at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.”

In the college football saga that will just not end, Florida has announced that Brandon Spikes will now sit out for the entire game this week against Vanderbilt. In case you live in a cave without the internet or TV, here is the deal.

After a tough game, the Gators came out on top

The Gators and Bulldogs played a nasty game where five personal penalties were called. Both teams were warned early on. Georgia’s Nick Williams took a cheap shot at Tebow. Florida’s Brandon Spikes gouged the eyes of a Georgia player during a pile.

Spikes was initially benched for half of this week’s game by coach Urban Meyer, but after this week’s hype they have decided to make it the entire game.

“Brandon came to see us last night, coach (Charlie) Strong and myself, and a lot of the negative things out there really weighing heavy on his heart right now and so we thought that as a group we decided the best interest just for the team to not play him Saturday,” Meyer said Wednesday. “It was a group decision and we’re doing it out of respect to our team so we can focus on trying to win our ninth game and we think it’s the right thing to do. We support Brandon fully and we look forward to get back and finish the season the right way.”

Now let’s all move on…

Last week’s Florida-Georgia game, and nasty rivalry, just won’t go away.

First, Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes gouged the eyes of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey in a pile, which resulted in Spikes receiving a half game suspension. Now video has surfaced of Nick Williams popping Tebow well after he handed off the ball.

While the hit can definitely be called “questionable” to say the least, I don’t see how it’s as bad as jamming a finger into someone’s eye. Especially when they can’t stop you. Maybe I’m just tired of hearing Tim Tebow’s holier-than-thou name every time I turn on the TV.

When you think about performance enhancing drugs, you probably think about baseball. But another bad-ass sport is throwing its hat in the ring: the PGA.

Doug Barron, in 2006, after ripping off his shirt in a roid rage

Today, American golfer Doug Barron received a one-year suspension from the PGA Tour after it was discovered that he failed his drug test. He is the first player to be banned since the anti-doping program began last summer.

“I want my fellow Tour members and the fans to know that I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on Tour,” said Barron, in a statement on the PGA website.

Um, isn’t that the point to taking a performance-enhancing drug?

To be fair, Barron has suffered health problems over the past few years. And the PGA will not reveal exactly what drug was found in violation. Fellow golfer Rod Pampling was shocked to hear the news.

“I don’t believe it. Doug Barron? Look at the man,” said Pampling. “Tell him to take his shirt off and ask anyone, ‘Do you believe he’s on performance-enhancing drugs?’”

The 40-year old has played eight full seasons on the tour, but lost his tour card three years ago. This year he played in only one official PGA Tour event.

The U.S. speedskating team got some good news Monday night when Stephen Colbert announced that “Colbert Nation” is now the primary sponsor for the team. The previous sponsor, DSB Bank NV, recently declared bankruptcy, leaving the team with little time to find a new sponsor before the Olympics.

“On their enormous, billboard thighs, it will say, ‘Colbert Nation,’” Colbert said. “Be looking for that logo as it comes around the final turn. It will be easy to see because it will be in first place.”

Colbert is no stranger to having things named after him. Among the list: a NASA treadmill, species of water beetle, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor, Virgin America jet, and the five remaining numbers of the Sierpinski Problem (a math geek’s wet dream). Brilliant free marketing.

But don’t be confused. The Colbert Report will not be sponsoring themselves, but rather calling on its “Nation” of fans to do so. If you’re part of Colbert Nation and wish to donate to the team, visit http://www.colbertnation.com or http://www.usspeedskating.org.