that Kenny Williams put forth in trying to defend the White Sox AL Central crown, but as the team continues its death spiral Kenny is now, just hours before the deadline, trying to dump some of the garbage...

and it's time to stop playing around with Jake Peavy - he needs to just stop pitching for the rest of this year.....

what's yours?

It appears the University of Southern California won't be a destination for East Aurora's Ryan Boatright after all.

A published report in the Long Beach Press-Telegram today said the school and new basketball coach Kevin O'Neill are not interested in recruiting the junior point guard who made national headlines at age 13 when he committed to former USC coach Tim Floyd.
After this coaching change this past spring, Boatright re-opened his recruitment.

The report said, "sources said USC has amde no contac with the 5-foot-10 point gaurd from Aurora, Ill., since Floyd left and is not interested in signing him to a letter of intent.

"Current USC basketball coach Kevin O'Neill attended at least one summer tournament Boatright's club team played in but apparently was not impressed enough to recruit him."

Plenty of other suitors are, though, family members recently told the Beacon News, with DePaul, Kansas State and Kentucky among them.

this is for you Cubs fans, in case you fogot ;-) Enjoy.

Milton Bradley
2009: $10 mil
2010: $10 mil
2011: $10 mil

Kosuke Fukudome
2010: $13
2011: $13.5

Alfonso Soriano
2010: $17
2011: $17
2012: $17
2013: $17
2014: $17

Aramis Ramirez
2010: $15
2011: $15

Derrek Lee
2010: $13

Carlos Zambrano
2010: $18.3
2011: $18.3
2012: $18.3
2013*: team option

Ryan Dempster
2010: $12.5
2011: $13.5
2012:* $14 player option

Ted Lily
2010: $10

For all your Friday football scores, including East vs. West, follow @beaconfbscores

and for your general sports amusement, follow @SportsBeacon

Michelle Wie captured the hearts of golf fans from around the world - finally - with her 3-0-1 performance during the U.S. victory over Europe over the weekend.

Everyone was told how this week was such a life-changer, and potentially game-changer, for the 19-year-old. Click here to find out why...

Well, Aurora's Michael Bowden was finally recalled by the Red Sox on Saturday and immediately put in the bullpen - a role he filled in his first stint with the team earlier this year - but definitely not the one he's used to.

Then, he was thrown right into the fire against the Yankees and was absolutely hammered - which then led to his immediate demotion back to Pawtucket.

It was the first rough outing the Waubonsie Valley alumnus has faced in the majors, and it won't be the last. Hopefully he gets a Sept. 1 call up and helps Boston make a run at the playoffs.

and nearly six hours later, we've just about completed the first round of matches - the morning four-ball that began in the 8 a.m. hour...

the Europeans (aside from Laura Davies & Becky Brewerton) got off to hot starts, forcing the pairs of Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr; Morgan Pressel and Michelle Wie to rally from behind....

And for those that might doubt the roughly 30,000 fans in attendance, just ask the people who sat on Rt. 30 for up to 2 hours trying to get in this afternoon....

But, it's a rowdy atmosphere - and crowded. The people here are having a good time...

The players must have heard about the delays - so they decided to slow play down to make sure the paying customer saw enough of the morning golf... Three of the four matches went to at least the 17th hole...

Foursome matches were announced a bit ago...
Natalie Gulbis & Christina Kim vs. Suzann Pettersen; Angela Stanford & Nicole Castrale vs. Becky Brewerton & Gwladys Nocera; Kristy McPherson & Brittany Lincicome vs. Maria Hjorth & Anna Nordqvist; Paula Creamer & Juli Inkster vs. Janice Moodie & Catriona Matthew...

The Solheim Cup kicks off Friday, and the morning's four-ball pairings were announced today. So, let's give you all you could possibly need on the four-ball matches.

Cristie Kerr/Paula Creamer vs. Suzann Petersen/Sophie Gustafson

Angela Stanford/Juli Inkster vs. Helen Alfredsson/Tania Elosegui
Daniel: "It's a good pairing for Angela to be with Julie and vice versa. Angela was third in our points, she was one of the top people and Juli is very steady and a very calming influence. Angela is very fiery, but so is Juli. They'll both be fired up."

Brittany Lang/Brittany Lincicome vs. Laura Davies/Becky Brewerton
Daniel: "The two Brittany's have played a lot of practice rounds together and they've known each other, played amateur golf and stuff like that together. They actually played really well together in practice rounds - and they both make a ton of birdies - so we thought they would be great for best ball."

Morgan Pressel/Michelle Wie vs. Catriona Matthew/Maria Hjorth
Daniel: "Morgan and Michelle are very good friends and they have been sharing one of the lodges together this week. I think Morgan is very fiery and she knows match play really well and I just felt like she would be a great first pairing for Michelle."

Soft conditions have made driving distance a priority and both captains decided to play some of their longer hitters in the morning.

Or, they paired a solid ball-striker and putter with a hitter a big hitter, like Pressel/Wie and Matthew/Hjorth and Creamer/Kerr.

Lincicome is the longest of the morning, averaging 269.7 yards
Here are the rest of the morning's big hitters:
Wie - 267.2
Petersen - 266.9
Gustafson - 265.7
Alfredsson - 264.5
Lang - 263.6
Stanford - 262.8
Kerr - 261.4
Brewerton - 260.58
Hjorth - 260.2
Elosegui - 260.13

Not only was length a major consideration of the captains, but so was the ability to score. Kerr leads the LPGA Tour in birdies made while Brewerton is first on the Ladies European Tour.
All of the Americans rank in the top 32 on the LPGA Tour in total birdies. The European women aren't as prolific, but Petersen is 7th on the LPGA Tour and Elosegui is 8th on the LET.

Notable players not playing in the morning are American's Natalie Gulbis, Christina Kim and Kristy McPherson and Europeans Anna Nordqvist and Gwladys Nocera.

We're less than a day away from the pairings announcement (3:30 pm tomorrow) and Friday is the first day of the competition between the US and Europe.

Team members from both squads who met the press today were asked about potentially changing the format of the Solheim Cup because of the strength of the Asian players on the LPGA Tour.

I know where that line of questioning was coming from, but I think it's misguided.

I wrote about this very thing on Monday, and the way to incorporate the Asian players (as well as everyone not from the U.S. or Europe) is to revamp what used to be the Lexus Cup.

There is nothing wrong with the Solheim Cup - it should stay the way it is. The LPGA Tour just needs to get a bit more creative with adding another team event that can captivate audiences both here and abroad.

but I have to wonder why the Red Sox chose to promote Junichi Tazawa over and Waubonsie Valley alumnus Michael Bowden recently.

Boston has been in a free fall, and Jon Heyman says the team's playoff chances are slimming mainly because Tazawa and Clay Buchholz have been ineffective since being recalled.

I'm not saying Bowden would have come in and gone 3-0 in the starts that Tazawa has gotten lit up in, but I can almost guarantee opponents wouldn't be hitting .340 off The Bulldog.

Now, AL East hitters might feed me some crow if Bowden and Tazawa switch roster spots soon, but I wouldn't bet on it. The kid's a winner.

The Fire and The Passion?
Bad......con....tract.....?

A bad contract that was just sort of unavoidable: Aaron Rowand (5 years, $60 million). He will be paid $12 million per for the next three years, which is a whole lot of money to pay for a below-average hitter who probably has been pretty wildly overrated defensively for three or four years. But, hey, he came off that big 2007 season -- .309/.374/.515 -- and he'd had one year like that before (2004 in Chicago) and he had the great defensive rep, and he was a free agent, and somebody was going to overpay for him. Brian Sabean was the lucky winner.

Meathead Sox fans suddenly felt a sharp pain through their craniums and they don't know why....

Especially since centerfielder of the future Alex Rios is also mentioned as one of THE worst contracts in the game...

Oh, don't worry Cubs fans - you're well represented too with Carlos Zambrano and Alfonso Soriano on this list...

oh yes, my favorite people.

not only are the Bleacher Bums tossing beer at opponents, but they're apparently having a hard time working the little button that moves the lens in and out on their cameras...

scroll down for another little Cubbie treasure - as if you weren't in enough pain already from the team's recent journey down the toilet...

It's because we continually fall into the trap of the "reformed athlete."

Always.

It's the easy thing to do, especially when we're bogged down with a crap ton of other responsibilities.

Here's just the latest from this story on Cedric Benson.

Yes, that Cedric Benson.

"What happened next appeared equally unremarkable, but it revealed everything you need to know about the rehabilitation of Cedric Benson."

"The Bengals' reborn runner is, depending upon your perspective, either paranoid or acutely aware of the pitfalls of premature glory."

Don't get me wrong. Silver did a very good job in the piece, but I don't know why we as sports journalists feel the need to do these stories the second a troubled athlete shows the slightest sign of maturity.

Remember this?

This was the big "Ron Artest is a changed man" story following the infamous brawl in Detroit in November of 2004.
Shortly after this cover story about new Ron, good old Ron quickly re-emerged & requested a trade, was made inactive by the Pacers, divided the team and created a rift with fellow cover-boy Larry Bird.

Years later, while new Ron was keeping his nose clean on the court, good old Ron was beating on his woman, leading to another suspension and an arrest.

Yes, this is just one example, and I'm not saying Ced Head is going to go out and beat people up or drive his boat through a lakehouse....I'm just saying we need to give these guys some time to prove that they're really changed - that they're really "reborn" and "rehabilitated."

The story will be there if they are - and there will be more proof of such a change and thus, a more powerful tale.

well, a big couple days...

* Lil' Patrick Kane gets a some beer biceps and unleashes his inner Kimbo Slice on a cab driver over twenty cents...so the question becomes, do we get the kid a few shots of Hennessy next time

* The Blue Jays say hey Kenny - you can have Alex Rios and his multi-million dollar contract for nothing more than a song...
and yes, there is a Rios video montage out there...

* High school football coaching legend Frank Lenti gets hit with a 2-game suspension for recruiting, giving surprising credence to the long held public school belief that private schools recruit athletes...yet Mt. Carmel administration says it had nothing to do with the coach...

According to this story in SI.com about John Smoltz's release from the Red Sox - as well as a neighborhood source - Michael Bowden will make another appearance in a Boston uniform...

The Red Sox could give (Smoltz) no more time. Junichi Tazawa will start Tuesday, unless he is needed out of the bullpen tonight or tomorrow, in which case Michael Bowden will get the ball against Detroit.

and unlike his first appearance - a victory against the White Sox - Bowden can help the Pale Hose with a start against the first place Tigers.

My best guess is the kid wins....

I think Boston is starting to realize he's a guy who will rise to the occasion and is unflappable...

Larry English missed both Charger practices Thursday and has missed four over the last two days with a minor hamstring injury.

At this point, early in preseason camp, the team is wisely taking things cautiously.

The rookie outside linebacker from Aurora and Northern Illinois University downplayed it, however.

"It's no big deal. It's feeling a lot better," he told the Associated Press, adding that he hopes to return to the practice field by the weekend.

San Diego Chargers' first-round draft choice Larry English missed two practices Wednesday and Thursday's morning practice with a slight hamstring strain.

U.S. Solheim Cup captain Beth Daniel insisted Wednesday that the event was not going to be the "Michelle Wie Solheim Cup."

That said, Daniel also knows what type of attention the talented 19-year-old brings, and as the media swarmed over her pick, Beth Daniel tried to temper the hype. She said Wie can't win the match against Europe by herself, and that it's a team event.

Which it is.

But most of Wednesday's media day centered around Wie.
So why did Daniel pick her?

"I've said from day one that I'm looking for the players who are playing the best coming into the event, and Michelle being a rookie finished 13th in the points playing in less tournaments than anybody else," Daniel said. "And as of late, she's been playing extremely well. That's the reason why I picked her. She's also just a tremendous talent."

To illustrated that talent, Daniel referenced a greenside bunker shot that Wie hit last week at the British Open that she said not many people on the planet could execute.

"She hits so many unbelievable golf shots and you're looking at her in awe," Daniel said. "She can hit any shot. I think where she's gotten better, her short game is incredible. Her shots around the green -- she can hit some shots. At Lytham last week she into a bunker and she hit a shot that you wouldn't see many human beings being able to hit. She's a remarkable talent."

Daniel then mentioned how Wie missed the ensuing putt,to still card a bogey.
Ah yes.
The Big Wiesy is not perfect. Far from it. But with an average tee shot that measures just under 270 yards, she's a big hitter with an improving short game, which will make her an excellent teammate once they tee it up for real in a couple weeks.

Aside from Wie's selection, the other news of the day centered around the treatment she received from teammates. There's been a perception - most of it based in reality - that many LPGA players don't care for the way Wie has handled her career to this point, or the attention she has received.

So all eyes weren't just on Wie, but how her teammates responded to her.

Said Daniel: "I'm an insider, obviously. I played with Michelle when she was 14 years old and I played with her when she was 15. From an insider's view, being in the locker room with her, she's always been great kid. But she got so much media attention by playing in the men's events and there was all this debate about is she doing the right thing, is she doing the wrong thing, is she getting too much, is not getting enough. People have debated that for years and I think they'll continue to debate that but she's always been a great kid and I've liked her."

While that may be true - Daniel couldn't speak for the rest of her team, and even Rich Harvest Farms owner and architect Jerry Rich observed some moments of detachment from the other players and the rookie early in the week.
"I had the opportunity to watch her over two days now and you could tell she wasn't one of the peers, and now they're giving high fives and patting each other on the back and they're really coming together as a team," he said. "She feels she's part of that team now."

Teammate and longtime friend Christina Kim then offered this up on Wie:
"It's remarkable to see her grow up into such an incredible young woman. We're really good friends and I think people have really started to embrace her and people have been able to get to know her.

"People, the media I guess, or whoever you want to say, always have these assumptions as to who we are as human beings and its really nice to see people really seeing Michelle for who she really is -- which is an incredible human being with a huge heart and one of the most fun loving, free spirited people you'll ever meet."

Read on for some quotes from Wie herself....

was out at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove this afternoon for the media day trumpeting the entire 12-member U.S. team, including captain's picks Juli Inkster and Michelle Wie.

couple of notes:
* The golf course was in good shape, though the 18th green remains closed until tournament week (Aug. 17-23). It's been closed for 4-5 weeks, as it was seriously affected by the very wet and cold temps + a nasty stretch of real hot days in June.

After the tourney, that green will be ripped up and rebuilt to assist in drainage and prevent such a problem from happening again.

But, the players say they love the venue and think it will be a great track for the various forms of play (here's a spectator guide that will catch you up on everything about the event)

* Stars Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer, Juli Inkster and Michelle Wie saw the course for the first time yesterday and played a couple practice rounds to learn some of the unique angles each tee set invites.

* LPGA officials say 100,000 fans representing 49 states (damn you Alaska!) and 9 countries will circulate through the course through the week as well.

Northern Illinois University and WSCR (670-AM) The Score have reached agreement on a three-year extension for broadcast of the school's football and men's basketball games.

The 50,000-watt station, which also carries the Chicago White Sox, boasts a signal that can be carried in 38 states.

In addition to all Northern Illinois football games (except those which directly conflict with White Sox games), WSCR-AM will air 20 Huskie men's basketball games each year and will carry the school's weekly 30-minute athletics update show "NIU Live" on Thursday nights from August through March.

"We are excited about extending our partnership with NIU," said Mitch Rosen, Program Director for WSCR. "The relationship over the past four years has been extremely beneficial to both The Score and NIU."

NIU's connection with Comcast SportsNet Chicago will continue this fall under a new agreement announced by Huskie Athletic Director Jeff Compher on Monday. The school and the regional sports network reached a new three-year agreement. The arrangement will include broadcast of three NIU football games on the network this fall.

It makes sense, considering the network's reach in Chicagoland AND the large number of NIU graduates (180,000-plus) who live in Comcast Sportsnet Chicago's market.

The three home football games that will be televised this fall are:

Saturday, Sept. 12 vs. Western Illinois (6:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Sept. 26 vs. Idaho (2:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 3 vs. Western Michigan (2:30 p.m.)

The network will also carry "Inside Huskie Sports," the school-prduced 30-minute sports highlight show, weekly. It's the fifth straight year for that arrangement.

"We are very pleased that Comcast SportsNet Chicago will be the place to see Huskie football this fall and for years to come," Compher said. "The exposure that our entire university receives from these game broadcasts cannot be measured. CSN Chicago has been a great partner for Northern Illinois Athletics for many years with excellent year-around coverage of Huskie football. I know that our fans appreciate and enjoy seeing our games on Comcast."

that's probably not entirely fair, but it does seem that either Boston really loves Michael Bowden (he hasn't been traded yet) or they like him juuuusst enough to dangle him for some of the best pitchers in the game.

the hot rumor at the end of July had Bowden in a package for Roy Halladay, but everyone involved denied that.

But now there are reports that the Red Sox tried to land King Felix, and Bowden was a part of those talks.

I reconnected with Bowden when I joined the Beacon a couple of years ago, and even then we talked about all the trade rumors swirling about his name. He's been rumored in pretty much any deal the Red Sox have made since then - which is good and bad.

Teams obviously feel he's major league ready, but then again, you're sitting on pins and needles for a few weeks every year - and every off season for that matter.

This story has a nice catch up with Bowden about how his Pawtucket teammates were treating him as the deadline approached...

on Marmion alumnus (and University of Illinois-bound?) Matt Milroy. A late draft pick by the Boston Red Sox, Milroy pitched all summer under the watchful eye of BoSox scouts. The signing deadline for high school kids is Aug. 15, which definitely will put the pressure on Milroy if Boston ponies up something worth thinking about...