Day 544

• One of the benefits on low readership:  I blog-killed off Al Roker a couple days ago, when Willard Scott was the one who had passed away.  Roker actually was the one who told the world of Scott's passing.  Thanks to my anonymous friend, and God, do I need more sleep!!!  I do regret the error.
• Shelby Rogers anticipates she, too, will receive death threats after her fourth-round US Open tennis loss last night.
• As for why, just wait til the NFL season starts...  The American Gaming Association notes that over 46,000,000 people will bet on the NFL this year.  That is over a one-third increase from last year's survey.
• Kid, I hope this ban will let you know why they had to take this action, even if what you did was... well, the far end of a kid being a kid.  A 13 year-old fan who ran onto the field to take a selfie with Dutch international Memphis Dupay has been fined 100 euros (it would've been 450, but the youth was taken into account), but has also been banned from all Dutch stadiums for five years.  The fact that 16 such interruptions took place during Saturday's match (and the fact the kid got significant media attention for the incident) may have played a part in the latter.
• It appears as if FIFA's ruling will probably be against Brazil, and that Argentina will get a 3-0 win for the aborted qualifier on Sunday.  If that stands, then I think the only real discussion is the invocation of "governmental interference" and the very real possibility Brazil should, in fact, be thrown out of Qatar 2022!   
• Apparently, there is a new coach at Bishop Sycamore -- and, according to USA Today, he ADMITS the entity is not a school and should not be represented as such.  Then WHAT ARE YOU, and on what basis do you discern the right of any degree of competition with any other entity who is?  Last I remember, any entity in a high-school sports organization who knowingly participates in a contest (and maybe even a practice) with a non-sanctioned or banned opponent is banned themselves from the organization...   
• Kyle Busch is already on the playoff bubble -- and he may be out, if indications from NASCAR are correct.  A behavioral penalty may be in line for his actions as he left the race this weekend.  Ran over a bunch of cones and forced a good half-dozen people to scatter.  Park him.  Til the next Daytona 500.  Make it clear that one more like any of this and he's done in the sport.   
• So they fine him $50,000.  Yeah, that's gonna fucking do it...  You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!
• 42 years ago today, and you can consider this for better or worse, Lee Leonard pointed toward a satellite 23,000 miles in the air and announced the beginnings of the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.