News-Record.com

So, either Larry Brown has already agreed to become the Cleveland Cavaliers' next president, as ESPN reports, or he's never given it a second thought because all he cares about is the Detroit Pistons' playoff survival, as Larry Brown himself reports. Who do we believe? Well, I'm not a big fan of unnamed sources, but it's pretty clear he's got something at least stirring with the Cavs, even if he denies ever meeting Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert. He's reportedly even considering ex-Duke player Danny Ferry as his GM.

And that's where the high-profile job candidate walks the fine line between truth and disinformation, between protecting his team from the behind-the-scenes reality without telling too many flat-out lies. Feigning indignance at the media coverage is one useful tactic, apparently.

I think it's more a shroud of vagueness, the same one Roy Williams lived in during the Final Four in '03, when he tried to balance coaching Kansas with the obvious wheels-in-motion process of taking the Tar Heels' coaching job. Brown, coincidentally, is a UNC guy himself. But it's not like this is a game of shake-the-media only played by Dean Smith disciples.

The media, particularly in Detroit and Cleveland, have to report the direction things are heading and go with solid confirmation when they get it -- not when someone decides to hold a news conference. But how should someone in Larry Brown's shoes deal with this when he's genuinely concerned about it being a distraction from his current job? Is he going about it the right way?

Would it be a detriment to the Pistons if he just said the next time a microphone or recorder is put in front of him: "I'm Larry Brown. Of course I'm ready to take my next job. I don't stay in one place for long, and that's a darn good offer. Now that's all I have to say until we're eliminated from the playoffs."

Down in Charlotte on Thursday, at the Panthers "voluntary" summer-school practices, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins was in a very forthcoming mood about his shoulder injury last year, about his weight issues, about hitting the bottle too much while he was out and about how much he despises Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp.

In case you missed it, the former Pro Bowler from Maryland told the gathered media (I was one of the stunned bystanders):

"I hate him. Everybody says I'm supposed to be polite when I talk to y'all, but I hate him. He talks too much, he doesn't make sense, he's fat, he's sloppy, he acts like he's the best thing since sliced bread. He's ugly, he stinks, his mouth stinks, his breath stinks, and basically his soul stinks, too."

Wow, he can smell another man's soul. Tune in to the "Radio Free Sports" podcast today (after 11 a.m.) to hear more discussion on Jenkins and Sapp.

Meantime, RB Stephen Davis seems to be recovering cautiously from his knee injury. He's confining his running to the treadmill at this point and is basically gunning for the start of training camp to get back on the field.

Feeling sorry for the Yankees' Jason Giambi after he lost endorsement deals with Nike, Pepsi and Arm & Hammer in wake of reports that he used performance enhancing drugs?

Well, SportsInteraction.com wants to come to his rescue. According to a press release, it has extended an endorsement offer to Giambi's agent, Arn Tellem, for what it says is worth up to $3 million per year. The company believes Giambi "still has huge market value in the sports world. This is a classic story where a star hits rock bottom and someone comes to his side as he rises from the ashes."

OK, so we haven't read even 1/1,000th the stories on baseball's amateur draft, which began today, as we have on the NBA Draft, which is still three weeks away. But, while I'm as eager as the next guy to find out if the Bucks will take Andrew Bogut or UNC freshman Marvin Williams No. 1 on June 28, it's worth mentioning that baseball's draft is a lot different than basketball's two-round, made-for-TV event, but no less important to major-league teams.

It's especially important for clubs whose philosophy is to build through the draft and the farm system, rather than through free agency. That's what the Braves have done successfully the last 15 years to remain consistently strong. It's also important when you've loaded up on supplemental picks and have 6 selections in the first 54 picks, like the Red sox.

One problem that former Mets GM Steve Phillips mentioned on ESPN radio this weekend is that it's more of a crapshoot than other pro sports drafts. He said you'll have 30 teams with 30 completely different draft lists. A pitcher with what one team considers a "plus-plus" arm may not have nearly enough "upside" to another scouting department. Team A would take this guy top 3 rounds; team B has him projected 20-25th rounds.

The Philly Inquirer's Jim Salisbury has an interesting take on the importance/randomness of baseball's draft.

This year, shortstop Justin Upton of Chesapeake, Va., went No.1 to Arizona. Three years ago, his brother B.J. went second to Tampa Bay. Virginia 3B Ryan Zimmerman went 4th overall to Washington -- surprisingly the first ACC player to go -- and UNCG pitcher Chris Mason went in the 2nd round to Tampa Bay. And on and on it goes (follow the draft here) ...

Speaking of baseball and NBA drafts, I got Rashad McCants' mom, Brenda Muckelvene, on the phone a few minutes ago while she was on her way to a "draft party." I said, "That's a little premature, isn't it?" She said it was for her nephew, Cameron Maybin (Rashad's cousin). He was taken 10th overall in the major-league draft by the Detroit Tigers. He's an outfielder for T.C. Roberson High. Rashad isn't likely to go that early in the NBA Draft on June 28.

"We'll be excited if he's just there," his mom insisted.

Jackie Manuel, the defensive stopper on North Carolina's NCAA title-winning team, has been the forgotten Tar Heel in the lead-up to the NBA Draft because teammates Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants are the ones projected to go in the first round. Make that co-forgotten man -- fellow senior Jawad Williams is also looking to go quietly in the second round June 28.

The Chicago pre-draft camp going on now is particularly important for guys like Jawad Williams and Manuel, who have much to prove to NBA scouts. That's why it was an especially unfortunate setback for Manuel when he suffered a hairline fracture in his left foot Tuesday, the first day of the camp.

Greensboro-based Keith Gatlin, who's been working Manuel out the past few weeks, said Manuel likely won't be able to play basketball for 2-4 weeks. It's unclear whether he'll be able to do a scheduled workout in Seattle June 21. He is staying in Chicago to do IQ tests and such, even if he can't play, said Gatlin upon his return from Chicago on Friday.

I'm hoping to hear from Manuel before the day's out. If I do, you can probably read something in the News & Record on his draft preparations (and injury) either Saturday or Sunday.

Check here for the Peoria Journal Star's recent "sizzlers" and "fizzlers" wrap-up of the predraft camp that noted Williams had a rough 2-for-9 game Wednesday.

After 60-plus games, has baseball weeded out all the pretenders yet? Texas dropped five in a row recently to fall 2.5 games behing the Angels in the AL West. The Diamondbacks have faded after leading the NL West. And the Braves and Marlins have dropped 4.5 games back in the East after leading the division. Are they pretenders? Injury-riddled Atlanta, sure. But Florida? We'll see.

The Orioles are still hanging on in the AL East, led by former Tar Heel Brian Roberts. Jury's still out.

The NL East begs another question: How can you go 12-1 on a homestand and not gain any ground on the team you're chasing? Well, that's easy. That team, the first-place Washington Nationals, went 12-1 at home during the same stretch. Too bad for the Phillies. Great news for old Senators fans, who haven't seen the hometown team lead its division this late in the season since the Senators in 1933. They also hadn't seen 1.05 million fans pass through the turnstiles since the '40s. For an entire season. These Nats still have over half their home schedule left to play.

Are the Nats for real? I'm starting to think so. And give GM Jim Bowden credit. He dumped useless OF Endy Chavez off to a division rival for Marlon Byrd, who is still young and has the potential to be a solid major-league outfielder. And the club was going to just cut pitcher Tomo Ohka after he disrespected manager Frank Robinson while being pulled from a game. But the Milwaukee Brewers were willing to offer underrated 2B Junior Spivey in return. Spivey homered yesterday, of course.

Now, will the Nats start eating away at the Braves' fan base in North Carolina? Probably not. But I did notice 850-AM, "The Buzz," in Raleigh was giving away weekend getaway-ticket packages to DC on the air. That's something.

And, is it just me, or did the Cubs trade the mini-Sammy Sosa to the Orioles? It's not just that his power numbers are down, he just looks a lot smaller. I'm not saying he's suddenly off the juice or anything; just an observation.

The crowds are already gathering in full force at Pinehurst No.2. For those driving down from Greensboro, prepare for lengthy stoppages this week at the Rt. 211 exit off U.S. 220 and at the big traffic circle in Pinehurst. The good news there is a couple of state troopers are helping space out the traffic in the roundabout.

Oh, and bring lots of water, or be prepared to buy lots of it at the course. But you probably were already figuring on that, what with the heat index hovering around 110 degrees in the Triad and Sandhills today. Seriously, for those with serious heat-stroke concerns, there are three medical tents set up here, each with an attending physician, two paramedics and two nurses. They pretty much did think of everything.

As for the course itself, the thick rough, whether 3 inches or 3.5 deep, is going to eat a lot of golf balls this weekend, players are predicting. Tiger Woods played 36 holes here last Monday. He said it was like, "What rough?"

"Now you're hoping to advance a 9-iron or wedge down the fairway so you can get it up-and-down," he said. "It's grown quite a bit in a week."

Retief Goosen, who won the Open last year at Shinnecock, says Pinehurst will likely play even tougher this week, especially if it stays hot and dry.

"I can't see that anything really below par could win this week if conditions stay the way they are now," Goosen said.

In Pinehurst, we're out of the sauna and into the U.S. Open. Temps are down into the 80s today, and the oppressive humidity has relented. That's good news for golfers, spectators and scribes alike.

It's still too early to say how the greens are going to hold up through the weekend, as there's no significant rain in the forecast.

Thus far, we've seen Aussie Rod Pampling bite the dust early. Playing the back 9 first, he made the turn at 42 (7-over). Four more bogeys on the front side, and we had the tournament's first 80. Ouch.

Rocco Mediate, on the other hand, sank a long putt on No. 10, where Pampling started with a bogey, for a nice eagle. He's one of a handful of players that have shown red numbers are possible at Pinehurst No.2.

No, I don't mean the course setup. I mean the media setup. Believe me, sports writers aren't used to country-club service when covering events. Nor do we deserve it, most would argue.

But at Pinehurst, we were treated to salmon for lunch today (pork barbecue yesterday to remind visitors we're in North Carolina, not Texas) and the finest portable bathrooms I've ever seen. Step into the trailer, and you'll see faux green marble, wood finishings, golf-related artwork and, yes, potpourri.

Most importantly, the mammoth media work tent is well air-conditioned.

By the way, who has Brandt Jobe in their U.S. Open office pools? Do you believe in miracles?

I figured I'd give you readers a brief reprieve from the U.S. Open - and the bizarre Eurotrash shoe/shirt combos that Sergio Garcia is sporting - by linking to this story.

Man, just when you think things can't get stranger with the FSU quarterback situation, here comes this revelation. Sexton's bizarre recent behavior, and his arrest, sparked a ton of jokes, particularly becuase he was allegedly calling himself God and the Son of God. The idea of Jesus being the kind of quarterback who doesn't try to do too much and keeps mistakes to a minimum gave us all a chuckle. But that's when we all assumed that Sexton had taken the wrong recreational drug/alcohol combo. Now comes the possibility that this may be a medical problem not of his own making.

If that's the case, Sexton's recent behavior is no longer funny. It's downright scary. And sad. Here's hoping he gets the help he needs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2087109

We may have a new course record at Pinehurst No.2 for fastest round. Omar Uresti, the first to tee off Saturday morning and playing by himself, didn't let seven bogeys slow him down. Going off at 8:10 am, he cruised through his round, going from 8-over to 13-over, in barely over 3 hours. He was in the clubhouse by 11:30.

Maybe he had a noon lunch reservation at Nina's. Our own Robert Bell is trying to find out such details now. It's not much fun being so far out of contention at the U.S. Open. But say this for Omar: He didn't have to linger on the greens waiting for his playing partner to putt out. And he always had honors at the next tee.

Incidentally, the group playing behind Uresti _ Irishman Graeme McDowell and Florida Gator Matt Every _ were still on the 16th when he finished.

Not Phil Mickelson, who fell out of contention at Pinehurst, anyway. Jason Gore isn't just a slightly overweight golfer struggling to make it in pro golf. He's the ultimate Every Man on the golf course. Just check out his caddie, Lewis Puller. The guy's wearing a mesh Pabst Blue Ribbon hat, PBR being one of the ultimate low-budget American beers of all time.

Through eight holes, Gore remains tied for the lead at 2-under. It's really hard to root against him, isn't it?

On the other hand, Rory Sabbatini doesn't only upset other players by playing too fast. He upsets the vertical hold on most TVs with his multi-colored striped pants. A third-round 76 might have been somewhat upsetting for him.

Due to technical difficulties, we weren't able to get this posted on our Web site's home page, but for those checking the blogs, here's a preview of what's coming in tomorrow's paper on Shavlik Randolph's future:

Staff report

Shavlik Randolph will take his chances in the NBA Draft rather than return to Duke for his senior season.

Randolph informed the Blue Devils coaching staff Tuesday afternoon that he would not withdraw his name before the 5 p.m. deadline for early entrants. The grandson of former N.C. State All-American Ronnie Shavlik is not expected to be selected during the draft's two rounds, according to most mock drafts.

His parents supported his decision to remain draft eligible so long as he promised to complete his work toward a college degree, his father, Kenny Randolph, said Tuesday.

If Shavlik Randolph is not drafted and does not pay an agent, he could still return to school. He must inform Duke within 30 days after the draft. Or he could try to make an NBA roster as a free agent, compete in a developmental league or look abroad for professional basketball opportunities.

The 6-foot-10, 240-pound Randolph was the subject of a heated recruiting battle between Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State when he was at Raleigh Broughton. But he's struggled with injuries and illness since arriving at Duke, where he's averaged 6.3 points, 4.3 rebound and 1.4 blocks a game over a three-year career.

Randolph could not be reached for comment.

_ Jeff Carlton

I admit, I'm not much of an NBA fan during the regular season. Used to be, but somewhere along the line it got boring. But the playoffs are something else. And games 5 and 6 of the Spurs-Pistons finals have been scintillating.

It's one thing for college players to fire in 3-pointers. But the NBA line is further out and the shots Robert Horry and Chauncey Billups made were absolutely cold-blooded. The play inside has been physical and Detroit's Rip Hamilton is showing that there is still a game from 15 to 18 feet.

For the record, it hasn't all been recruiting trips and rubber-chicken circuit for UNC coach Roy Williams since the Heels won that championship a couple of months ago.

Some tidbits from Wednesday's news conference:

He took in some golf at the U.S. Open last Friday, following Davis Love III and Fred Couples for a while. He bolted Pinehurst No. 2 before Tiger Woods teed off, he said, because Tiger's tee time conflicted with his own at nearby Forest Creek.

He had a chat with former Tar Heel Mitch Kupchak, now the GM of the LA Lakers. Kupchak reportedly said Roy turned him down for the third time. Steve Kirschner, associate AD for communications, said: "Isn't that four times?" Williams said he knows what the number really is, and left it at that. Phil Jackson was named, or renamed, Lakers coach last week.

Williams called the NBA's new age minimum of 19 "window dressing," and said he wouldn't change the way he recruits. Look for more on that in the N&R at a later date.

David Noel, the Heels' de facto veteran leader, expects 6-10 freshman Tyler Hansbrough to start right away at center and to have an impact. "He's a banger," Noel said.

Center Damion Grant, who's spent more game time in street clothes than in uniform because of injuries, now has a sprained ankle. Again, his coach isn't holding out high expectations from Grant this season, though he will be counting on bigger things from Byron Sanders in the post.

It's the fourth round of Wimbledon today, which means things are starting to get serious.

If you don't think you'll be around this Saturday to watch the women's final, you could probably do just as well to watch Lindsay Davenport vs. Kim Clisters today. Both players are the type of heavy hitters who do well on the slick grass at Wimbledon and both are playing at peak levels right now. Why are they meeting in the fourth round? Because several injuries have dropped Klisters down to the No. 15 seed.

A oouple of years ago, Greensboro's own Jon Isner was beaten fairly easily in the first round of the U.S. Open junior tournament, by a player named Richard Gasquet, of France. That loss was hardly anything to be ashamed of though, as Gasquet has certainly proven since then. Today, he's playing in the fourth round against the Argentine Armenian, David Nalbandian. Gasquet is seeded No. 27 and is one of a handful of teenagers who are forming a promising next generation of tennis players.

The other match to watch today will be Aussie Lleyton Hewitt - Clister's former boyfriend - against American Taylor Dent. Dent, formerly most famous for playing little Jaden Agassi in a humorous Genworth Financial ad, has played some top-notch serve-and-volley tennis so far. And he actually beat Hewitt, the No. 3 seed, the last time the two met.

In women's golf.

I'm not normally one to tune in to the LPGA, but the possibility of a Sorenstam grand slam and the hoards of talented teens vying for the U.S. Open piqued my interest.

I came away from Sunday's coverage pretty convinced that the Blue Devils should win several more national titles in the coming years. After all, the two women who tied for second both have Duke ties. One, Brittany Lang, is the No. 1 golfer for the Blue Devils. The other, Morgan Pressel, has committed to play at Duke after she finishes up high school next year.

Which raises an interesting question - could Pressel actually bypass Duke to go straight to the pros? After all, she's already shown she can play at the highest level against the pros. On the other hand, does anyone remember Jenny Chausiriporn? She lost to Se Ri Pak in a 20-hole playoff at the U.S. Open in 1998, when she was a senior at Duke. But that result never translated to success at the pro level. By 2001, Chausiriporn was working as an assistant coach for the men's team at UVA.

One other note about the women's U.S. Open. Gotta love a player who has the audacity to nickname herself "Birdie." Birdie Kim did it to different herself from the numerous other players with the surname on the LPGA tour. I myself would have gone with Eagle Kim, or Albatross Kim. But Birdie certainly beats being named Snowman Kim.

Upon further consideration, I think I'd like to be known as Pulitzer Young from now on.

... Well, I'm not even willing to commit to Andrew Bogut on that one. With all the crossed signals and subterfuge coming from the NBA teams themselves, it's not even clear if Milwaukee knows what it's going to do with that No. 1 pick less than 3 hours to NBA Draft time. It's all pretty much wait and see.

One interesting development is Utah traded its 6th and 27th picks to Portland for No. 3. Hmm, wonder how Chris Paul is going to like Salt Lake City. He appears to be the Jazz's target.

One other observation as I settle into my seat on the floor at the NBA Draft: The "green room" has not a hint of green. Red carpet, black tablecloths and mostly blue background. They have tables for May, McCants, Felton and Marvin Williams huddled next to each other. Together one more night.

One celebrity sighting on my way from lunch to the 1 train in the Theatre District, OK, minor-celeb sighting: Chris McDonald, who you might remember as golfer Shooter McGavin from "Happy Gilmore." Say this for the 50-year-old actor, who blew past us in a hurry to get somewhere: he is prolific. according to IMDB.com, one of the greatest web sites known to man, he has 86 TV and film credits since 1978.

And one celebrity-in-his-own-mind sighting: Stuart Scott is part of ESPN's draft production.

John Rocker, New York hardly knew ye. (But what they knew about you and your xenophobia, they didn't much like.) The Long Island Ducks released the 30-year-old Rocker today after he'd walked 28 in 18 innings -- reminding me of the wild year I covered him in Danville, Va.

Rocker, of course, made some offensive comments about 7-train passengers in NYC many years ago, when he still had a decent left arm.

I know it was two weeks ago and Jeff's already done a complete 180 on this subject, but I can't resist digging up these lines that Jeff wrote on our blog.

"And the Braves and Marlins have dropped 4.5 games back in the East after leading the division. Are they pretenders? Injury-riddled Atlanta, sure. But Florida? We'll see."

Atlanta, pretenders? How can a man who's always complained bitterly about the Braves' dominance of the NL East so suddenly dismiss their chances?

To be fair to Jeff, plenty of others jumped off the Atlanta bandwagon (which always has plenty of room around playoff time)recently. Their spate of injuries, particularly to the starting staff, had the Atlanta Braves looking a lot like the Richmond Braves.

Well, as it turned out, and as Tim Kurkjian writes, those Richmond Braves are pretty darned good.

I still like the Braves chances to catch the Nats eventually in the East. But that doesn't mean I'm reserving tickets for the World Series yet (given the unbelievably apathetic local fan base, I imagine plenty will be available the day of, anyway). Though Atlanta has finally gone with the playoff-proven formula of two dominant starters - Smoltz and Hudson - but is lacking the other necessity to win in October - a strong bullpen. Granted, half that pen has been forced into spot starting duty lately, but still, I'm not optimistic.

However, the recent strong play of the Baby Braves gives me this warm and fuzzy feeling. Even if the Braves don't get it done - again - this year, they appear to have the talent stocked to stay at or near the top of the division for years to come.