God Inc

MILWAUKEE - Brett Favre says he’s tempted to show up at the Green Bay Packers’ training camp just to call the team’s “bluff.”

In the second part of an interview with Fox News, the 38-year-old quarterback said he knows his arrival in camp would cause a media circus, but that might not stop him. Packers players are scheduled to report July 27.

“It’s tempting just to, as everyone said, you know, call their bluff or whatever,” Favre said, according to an excerpt provided to The Associated Press. “I think it’s going to be a circus in itself already, whether I go there, whatever.”

The interview on the show “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren” was to be broadcast Tuesday night.

Favre, a three-time MVP, says he feels “a little bit” bad for would-be successor Aaron Rodgers and insists he doesn’t want to be a distraction to his teammates. Or are they his former teammates?

“I like my teammates,” Favre said. “I had a lot of fun with them. I have talked to numerous guys throughout this whole ordeal. I wish them the best, I really do. I hold nothing against those guys. We had a lot of fun together. We had, it was an amazing year last year. I don’t want to make it any worse than it is.”

And right now, it’s pretty bad. Favre and the Packers appear headed toward a messy divorce after Favre demanded his release last week.

The decision blindsided the Packers. They were open to Favre’s return for much of the offseason — even after Favre’s retirement in early March — but had since committed to moving forward with Rodgers as their starter.

Favre conceded that the latest in his long line of reversals on his football future has been tough on Rodgers, the Packers’ first-round pick in 2005.

“The one thing in this, I do feel bad for Aaron a little bit,” Favre said. “I think he’ll do a fine job, to be totally honest with you, I do. He has been injured. I mean, the two injuries are not his fault. Couldn’t control. I know this has been tough on him. I think he’ll do a fine job. And this has nothing to do with him, this whole deal.”

That said, Favre doesn’t seem inclined to take a back seat to Rodgers.

“We’ll pay you $12 million, but you’ve got to hold the clipboard and ball cap?,” Favre said. “That’s probably better for them as opposed to letting me go somewhere and me coming back. Then their legacy, the management, would, you know, could be in jeopardy.”

Thompson has said the Packers do not plan to grant Favre his release. And while Thompson said Favre could return to the Packers if he applies to the league for reinstatement, it would be in “in a different role than he was” because the team had committed to Rodgers.

Thompson and McCarthy also have said they are concerned about Favre’s legacy, but Favre said that’s his problem, not theirs.

“You don’t worry about my legacy,” Favre said. “And, you know, it’s a bunch of bull. It’s all it is.”

The interview marked Favre’s first significant public comments since informing the Packers he wants to be released. The one thing Favre still hasn’t said, however, is that he is completely committed to playing in 2008.

In the portion of the interview aired Monday night, Favre conceded that “the bottom line is, I may not play anywhere.” He also said, “If I’m going to play, it’s going to be 100 percent commitment.”

And in a comment from Tuesday’s segment, Favre seems open to playing for another team, but he’s not certain.

“I’ve always been a Packer, always will be a Packer,” Favre said. “Will I play somewhere else? Remains to be seen.”

MIAMI - The wife of Alex Rodriguez wants to know if the New York Yankees star hired private detectives or installed wiretaps installed to spy on her.

Cynthia Rodriguez’s lawyers demanded evidence of any such surveillance as part of a routine request filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court last week in their divorce case.

The document asks for any tape recordings, photographs, reports from investigators or results from possible wiretaps “or other electronic surveillance conducted by you or others on your behalf.”

Alex Rodriguez’s attorney didn’t immediately respond Tuesday to an e-mail seeking comment. The 32-year-old third baseman was scheduled to start in the All-Star game on Tuesday night in New York.

Cynthia Rodriguez filed for divorce last week after more than five years of marriage, citing her husband’s alleged infidelity. She wants their $12 million waterfront mansion in Coral Gables, a luxury SUV, alimony and financial support for their two young daughters.

Alex Rodriguez has been linked in various tabloid reports to Madonna, though both have denied a romantic relationship. He has also been photographed out at night with a former Las Vegas stripper.

Rodriguez is in the first season of a 10-year, $275 million contract that makes him baseball’s highest-paid player.

Elton Brand signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, giving them the low-post presence needed to contend in the Eastern Conference. The power forward’s arrival represents a huge move for the Sixers, who have worked quickly to become a threat in the East.

He should immediately improve the emerging Sixers with his 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game average over nine seasons. Brand played in only eight games last season because of an Achilles’ tendon injury.

Brand said Wednesday night he was 100 percent and ready to go.

“I won’t let anybody down,” he said.

Last week, Brand opted out of his contract with the Clippers, but Los Angeles was expected to make a strong push to re-sign him. Instead, he spurned the Clippers and agreed to a five-year deal with Philadelphia worth a reported $82 million.

“My intention was to try and work something out with the Clippers,” Brand said.

Agent David Falk said Brand was given a “take it or leave it” offer from the Clippers on June 30 at significantly less than what Brand signed for in Philadelphia. Falk also said the Golden State Warriors offered more total money — about $90 million — but that Brand felt the 76ers were a better fit.

Philadelphia wanted to land a big man this summer and also had Hawks restricted free agent Josh Smith in town last week for a visit, but he left without being presented with an offer sheet. Smith will look elsewhere, or possibly stay in Atlanta.

The 76ers were able to sign Brand to a big deal because they sent forward Rodney Carney and a future No. 1 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a trade that cleared an additional $2 million in salary cap space.

That meant the Sixers — who entered the summer already $11 million under the cap — could offer a starting salary in the $14 million range. Brand had $16.4 million left on deal he signed in 2003.

Brand was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft out of Duke and spent two seasons with the Bulls before he was traded to the Clippers. Brand, a two-time All-Star, tried to leave Los Angeles once before as a restricted free agent. He signed an offer sheet with Miami, but returned to the Clippers once the deal was matched.

The Sixers had been pointing toward this summer ever since they traded former MVP Allen Iverson in 2006 and decided to rebuild. They started clearing contracts — notably last season’s trade of Kyle Korver to Utah — to have enough cash under the cap to pursue a franchise-shifting free agent. Once Brand surprisingly spurned the Clippers, the 76ers had their man.

Brand joins a Sixers team that is no longer the lottery-bound loser it was a year ago. Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert and the blossoming Thaddeus Young turned the 76ers into a surprise playoff team, even stretching Detroit to six games in a first-round series. Coach Maurice Cheeks had his team playing hard every game and he earned an extension from president Ed Stefanski.

The Sixers got only 5.2 points out of last year’s power forward, Reggie Evans.

Their starting lineup now looks like this: Miller and Iguodala in the backcourt; Young, Brand and Dalembert in the frontcourt. Willie Green, Lou Williams and Evans become the top reserves.

The Sixers played an up-tempo style in the second half of last season that helped turn their season around. Stefanski said Brand — even coming off an injury — fit in fine with their running game.

“This guy can run,” Stefanski said. “This is the prototype power forward.”

Now, Philadelphia has made a move that shows it not only expects to make the playoffs — it can be a contender. The Sixers still need a legitimate outside shooter to fill the role vacated by Korver.

“That’s something we’re definitely going to address,” Stefanski said.

Brand’s defection is another embarrassing blow for the Clippers. Baron Davis opted out of the final season of his contract with Golden State to become a free agent and is on the verge of signing a long-term deal with Los Angeles. The Clippers planned on Brand and Davis to lead them back to the playoffs.

Instead, Davis looks to be stuck on another rebuilding Clippers roster. Brand appears to have moved on to a contender.

Brand also denied making any sort of verbal or handshake deal with Davis that he would return to the Clippers.

A judge delayed the sentencing of disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy to have more time to decide how much restitution he and two co-conspirators should pay the NBA for their roles in a betting scandal.

U.S. District Judge Carol Amon moved the sentencing, originally scheduled for Monday, to July 29.

The 41-year-old Donaghy pleaded guilty last year to felony charges of taking cash payoffs from gamblers in the 2006-07 season. He faces up to 33 months in prison.

The NBA has claimed Donaghy owes it $1.4 million, including $577,000 of his pay and benefits over four seasons, plus hefty legal fees and other expenses related to an internal investigation. His lawyer has argued that the punishment should apply to only one season — a position supported by the government last week in court papers.

The government papers concluded that Donaghy, professional gambler James Battista and middleman Thomas Martino should collectively pay $233,317 in restitution.

Battista and Martino, who pleaded guilty to defrauding the NBA, are to be sentenced on July 24.

Demolition crews smashed the historic walls of Tiger Stadium on Wednesday, punching through to the interior of the ballpark that stood for decades.

Outfield walls cleared by baseball legend Mickey Mantle as well as Detroit Tiger sluggers Norm Cash and Cecil Fielder began to come down as contractors intensified their efforts to bring down the venerable park.

Backhoes and excavators, sometimes hard to see through dust and spraying water, whizzed around the site, picking up debris and dumping it in oversized bins. During one flurry Wednesday morning, an excavator smashed through the exterior wall beyond left field, throwing support girders to the side.

The scene was tough to take for longtime Tigers fan Chas Matreal and his 23-year-old son, Ryan.

“All beautiful memories,” Chas Matreal said. “It is something beautiful that we’re destroying, and it’s history.”

The 49-year-old bricklayer from Milford said he attended 400 to 500 games at Tiger Stadium, many with his own father, starting in 1966.

“Demolition means progress,” declared signs on a construction vehicle at the site. But Matreal disagreed, saying priceless memories are being lost.

“It’s a natural museum of a hundred years that they’re destroying,” he said.

Robert Neil, 42, also stopped to take a look at the demolition. The Detroit native worked at Tiger Stadium as a crowd manager from 1996 until it closed in 1999. The Tigers moved into Comerica Park in 2000.

“My microwave oven is still in there, for all I know,” he said.

Neil said he used to show up to work early to watch batting practice, get a whiff of the meat on the grills starting up and walk around the historic park.

“You find all the little nooks and crannies, and you see where (Tigers star Hank) Greenberg scribbled his signature,” he said.

Farrow Group owner Michael Farrow said crews planned to spend all day demolishing some of the stadium’s massive concrete walls.

The Detroit contractor and MCM Management Corp. of suburban Bloomfield Hills started demolition of the ballpark last week. They expect to make an estimated $1 million by selling scrap from the park.

City officials say an Aug. 1 deadline still stands for a nonprofit group to raise enough funds to preserve the field and part of the stadium between first and third base.

Gary Gillette, treasurer of The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, said the group is hopeful about meeting the city’s mandates, mostly by using loans and identifying federal and state tax credits for the project.

“We would love to have some wealthy individual write us a check,” Gillette said. “We’re not counting on it.”

The ballpark opened in 1912 as Navin Field and hosted thousands of Tigers games, Babe Ruth’s 700th career home run in 1934 and a speech by South African president Nelson Mandela in 1990. The final major league game was played there Sept. 27, 1999.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy was grilled about rumors of a Brett Favre comeback Wednesday — not by the media, but by kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay.

Standing at a podium to announce a $100,000 donation to the club in conjunction with the team, McCarthy was asked by 11-year old Miranda Black of nearby Oconto Falls the biggest question in the state these days: “Um, is Brett Favre coming back?”

McCarthy politely punted.

“I want to know which one of those media individuals made you say that,” McCarthy said, referring to reporters standing in the back of the room. “Those are things we’ll obviously, we’ll get to down the line. But great question.”

But it didn’t stop there, as other kids in the audience of about 75 shouted out questions about Favre, who retired in March but might be having second thoughts.

One wanted to know how good the Packers were going to be without Favre.

“Well, we’re going to be a good football team regardless of what happens,” McCarthy said. “It’s a football team that has worked very hard since the end of last season. The team has done a great job of improving. And we have a big training camp coming up and that’s always a big part of our preparation, getting ready to go.”

After McCarthy dodged a few more questions about Favre — Why did he quit? How old is he, anyway? — one child asked the coach if he would sign their T-shirts.

“Sure,” he joked. “It’s better than answering these questions.”

McCarthy later waved off questions from reporters about the Favre situation, saying it wasn’t the right time or place to discuss it.

It’s a sticky situation for the Packers.

If Favre really is feeling the “itch” to play again after retiring in March, as was reported by ESPN last week, do they welcome him back with open arms? Or is it time to move on with his designated successor, Aaron Rodgers — even if that leaves open the possibility of Favre playing for another team?

To date, McCarthy’s answers to the kids Wednesday remain the only public comments from the coach or general manager Ted Thompson since the latest round of reports and rumors of a potential Favre comeback surfaced last week.

Tuesday night, Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said he does not believe Favre will return to the team.

“It’s a very delicate situation, because he has such a special place in Packers history,” the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported Murphy said at a charity auction in Fond du Lac, Wis.

“No player leaves the game gracefully. It’s kind of the nature of what makes great players great, is they’re competitors and they always want to compete and they want that next challenge, and it’s hard to find that next thing that’s going to give you that excitement and adrenaline. That’s what we’re seeing a little bit here.”

Rodgers, who has spent the offseason preparing as the starter, also is trying to avoid the subject.

“I’ve been up in the mountains hanging out with my family, so I’ve been pretty immune to any media reports out there,” Rodgers said on a conference call promoting the American Century Championship golf tournament.

But former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, who was on the conference call along with Rodgers, said a Favre comeback would be frustrating and disappointing to Rodgers.

“Obviously Brett holds all the cards here,” Dilfer said. “But at the same time, like anything, you deal with it. And just because Brett came back, if Brett were to come back and play and start and all those things, (you’re) always one snap away. I know we’re saying that about the most durable football player in the history of the NFL, but things change very quickly in this league.”

No kidding.

Favre sobbed in his retirement news conference March 6, saying, “It’s been a great career for me, and it’s over.” But the tears hardly had dried before reports and rumors surfaced that he was having second thoughts.

In early April, Thompson dismissed a report in the Los Angeles Times that Favre’s representatives were exploring a comeback with another team.

Later that month, after the Packers officially placed Favre on the reserve/retired list, Favre admitted he was having second thoughts.

“There are always second thoughts, but that’s not saying I am coming back,” he said. “It’s never a clear-cut decision. It’s something I can’t expect everyone to understand.”

Then Favre told the Gulfport (Miss.) Sun Herald that he’d be tempted to come out of retirement if Rodgers was injured.

The latest round of Favre speculation kicked off last week, when ESPN reported that Favre had told McCarthy he was feeling the “itch” to play again. But the Packers don’t seem to be tripping over themselves to get Favre back in the fold, leading to speculation about rising tension between the quarterback and the team.

Favre hasn’t spoken publicly about the latest reports, beyond telling the Sun Herald that the speculation is “all rumor” and that there was “no reason” for a media circus.

As for young Miranda, sporting a green Care Bears T-shirt and black curly hair, she only asked McCarthy about Favre because her mom wanted to know.

“If Brett Favre comes back, that would be fine,” she said. “If he doesn’t come back, that would be all right, too.”

And she seemed to hope for a better answer than the one she got.

“Well, I was thinking that he had probably answered that, a yes or no question, or maybe called up Favre or something,” she said.

But Miranda’s best friend, 10-year-old Lexi Novitski, hopes for a return.

“I want Brett Favre to come back,” she said. “I’m excited for the football season to start.”

John Benberg, the club’s executive director, said he wasn’t surprised the children had such direct questions for the coach.

“Our kids are very bright, interesting, sometimes hard-core bunch,” Benberg said. “They don’t mince any words when they ask their questions — which is the way it ought to be, I think, when you’re 8 or 10.”

If only it were that simple for adults.

The Golden State Warriors will sign high-scoring free agent Corey Maggette to a five-year contract worth around $50 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be announced until Wednesday at the earliest, confirmed Maggette will leave the Los Angeles Clippers for a lucrative long-term deal with the fast-paced Warriors, who outbid several suitors for the former Duke star.

The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the deal.

Maggette, a 6-foot-6 swingman who led Los Angeles in scoring last season, should fit splendidly into Golden State coach Don Nelson’s pell-mell style of play. He averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season for the moribund Clippers, finishing slightly off his career highs in all three categories.

Maggette has been with the Clippers since 2000, longer than any other player. But Maggette and teammate Elton Brand opted out of the final years of their contracts last week, with Maggette turning down $7 million for next season.

The 28-year-old Maggette will trade places on the California coast with Baron Davis, who spurned the Warriors last week for his hometown Clippers. Davis, who was considered the Warriors’ team leader until his abrupt decision to opt out of a $17 million deal for next season, accepted a smaller salary in Los Angeles for a long-term contract and the chance to team up with Brand and perhaps Maggette.

Instead, Davis looks to be stuck on another rebuilding Clippers roster. The club is expected to lose Brand as well, amid reports he has agreed to a long-term deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Warriors also made a play for the power forward, likely driving up Brand’s price.

Davis’ departure cleared room under the Warriors’ salary cap for Maggette, who reportedly drew attention from Boston, San Antonio, Detroit, Utah and Orlando. Golden State apparently offered more money and a longer term than most of Maggette’s suitors, who mostly couched their offers at the mid-level salary cap exception.

Maggette easily could fill the void left by underachieving Golden State swingmen Mickael Pietrus, who’s expected to sign with Orlando, and Matt Barnes, who won’t be back, according to Nelson.

Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington are the only veteran regulars currently under contract to the Warriors, but top basketball executive Chris Mullin has said high-scoring guard Monta Ellis and center Andris Biedrins — both restricted free agents — will be back at any price, hopefully with long-term deals.

Promising youngsters Brandan Wright and Marco Belinelli also will return for their second NBA seasons, along with rookies Anthony Randolph and Richard Hendrix.

Nelson has promised to give more playing time to his young players in the upcoming season, even at the expense of a few victories. Still, with Maggette’s arrival, the Warriors will have three veterans who each averaged 20 points per game last season.

Story by: Bryant Morrison

Boston Celtics Forward Paul Pierce has been cleared to play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He sprained his knee during Game One on Thursday. “Paul’s good”, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

Chipper Jones didn’t play in Sunday’s game against the Phillies due to a small tear in his right quad and he may even miss one or two more games. Jones is currently hitting .420 on the season.

Story by: Bryant Morrison

-There have been alot of rumors lately about where Jason Taylor will play football in 2008. On Thursday, Bill Parcells finally broke his silence. Parcells wants Taylor to play for the Miami Dolphins in 2008, which possibly eliminates all rumors about a potential trade.

-Coco Crisp made a dirty slide late in a game against the Tampa Rays on Wednesday night, Rays’ Manager Joe Maddon accused Crisp of the dirty play and on Thursday night things just got more intense. Crisp was hit by a pitch which led to a bench clearing brawl. Crisp charged the mound and attacked Pitcher James Shields. Rays DH Jonny Gomes jumped on Crisp and threw a few punches at Crisp. Crisp, Shields and Gomes were all ejected.

Story by: Tim Smith

Why is everyone under-rating a team that is 39-12 the past four years? Why is everyone over-rating a team they have beaten each of the past three seasons? Why do people actually refer to the “analysts” at ESPN as “analysts”. Those idiots keep on thinking that Florida State and Miami will win the ACC every year and Alabama will return to former glory in no time. Someone please ignore what those idiots have to say for once.

Boston College under Tom O’Brien were always one win away from reaching “new heights”. However after a third straight year of “choking” away a game that they should have won against an inferior opponent, Tom O’Brien did himself and Boston College a favor by packing his bags and leaving for North Carolina State, a school that is known for it’s Basketball’s fame in the 1970s and 1980s and for it’s terrible results on the football field. Why did he leave Boston College for NC State? Good question, but why did he also say that Matt Ryan would be the only player from the 2007 Boston College team that could start at NC State. I mean NC State proved that they had playmakers all over the field in their 37-17 loss to Boston College.

In 2007, Jeff Jagodzinski took the Eagles to new heights that they had never reached before. They won the ACC Atlantic Division and they were  a couple of Special Team failures away from winning the ACC Championship. If they had a real kicker rather than a guy who wishes he was a WWF wrestler then they would have won the ACC. Jagodzinski was also great on the recruiting trail. He lured away a four-star RB away from the Florida Gators (Josh Haden, who had very deep connections with the Gators). The class of 2008 Eagles ended up being a Top 25 class.

Jagodzinski is a young, energized coach who does not like to lose. Along with his Offensive Coordinator Steve Logan (The best Offensive Coordinator in the ACC), BC’s offense in the future may be unstoppable.

But what will make them the surprise of the 2008 football season?

They return many on the defensive side of the ball, they have one of the best defenses in the ACC. On the offensive side of the ball they lose Matt Ryan (Drafted #3 overall in the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons) as well as RB Andre Callender. QB Chris Crane steps in to replace Ryan, Crane has been learning from Ryan since 2005 and he will look to continue the success Paul Peterson and Matt Ryan started. True Freshman, Josh Haden will fill in for Callender. Will he have a big season? Probably not, it’s rare to have a true Freshman to have a breakout season, but will it be building toward 2009? No doubt about it.

Boston College has arrived on the scene and the rest of the nation better start taking notice.