McCourts Reach Settlement in Divorce Case

At Los Angeles Times, "Frank and Jamie McCourt announce settlement in Dodgers divorce case."

Attendance has dropped dramatically at Dodger Stadium. Hopefully things start working out and the community can once again rally around a world class organization.

Ruler on Ice

I looked for the YouTube at the time, didn't find it, and then forgot about it. But TigerHawk has it, with some interesting commentary:

RELATED: At New York Times, "First in Mud at Belmont: Long Shot Ruler on Ice."

Shopping at Wal-Mart

Out with the family, yesterday morning:

This is the Wal-Mart in Foothill Ranch. It's beautiful out there. That's Saddleback Mountain seen from the parking at the second picture below:

Turns out that Wal-Mart had its annual meeting on Friday, "Wal-Mart CEO pushes plan to keep retailer growing." And it announced a huge $15 billion stock buy-back: "Wal-Mart to Buy Back Billions More in Shares."

Cruising around the toy section:

I love Wal-Mart. Great selection of products, and of course great prices. And environmentally friendly? "Wal-Mart's motive is no secret: Going green saves it money." Well, better late than never, I guess.

Okay, here's the kid's Holy Grail, the Beyblades:

I wrote about Beyblades last November. They're still popular.

And it's back to the skatepark later today!

Sports Illustrated Investigative Report on Ohio State Football Program

I read this at my son's orthodondist's yesterday. A fascinating report: "SI investigation reveals eight-year pattern of violations under Tressel."

For more than a decade, Ohioans have viewed Tressel as a pillar of rectitude, and have disregarded or made excuses for the allegations and scandal that have quietly followed him throughout his career. His integrity was one of the great myths of college football. Like a disgraced politician who preaches probity but is caught in lies, the Senator was not the person he purported to be.

Apparently folks had come to call Coach Tressel "The Senator." Perhaps that once sounded kinda regal. Sounds kinda chinsey now. I don't follow Ohio State's program all that much, but they came to the Rose Bowl back in the 70s, and I've always admired the team.

Jim Tressel Resigns

I got the news on Twitter last night (of course).

And a good read on this, from Chris Dufresne, at LAT, "Ohio State's Jim Tressel dug himself into a hole with handling of scandal":

Hubris is part of the plague of being one of the most powerful people in town, as Tressel was in Columbus. Control freaks think they can control things. Control freaks with power think they can control everything.

Tressel's 106 wins in 10 years, 2002 national title and 9-1 record vs. Michigan made him virtually unimpeachable.

It must have made him think he didn't need to disclose NCAA violations even as he signed a "certificate of compliance" form in September certifying he knew of no violations in his program.

That was grounds right there for his dismissal.

Tressel kept lips zipped in December when the violations became public. He stood by as his players took five-game suspensions for the 2011 season.

His lie was the worst kind — confessed only when discovered by canvassing his emails.

Not only did Tressel know of the violations, having been tipped by Columbus attorney Chris Cicero, he forwarded the information to one of the player's mentors.

You'd think the adults couldn't mess it up more than that, but they did.

RTWT.

Rookie Loses Indy 500 With Crash on Last Turn

The report's at New York Times.

And we'll see how long this video lasts on YouTube, but for now, pretty spectacular:

PREVIOUSLY: "Danica Patrick's Last Indy 500 [VIDEO]."

Danica Patrick's Last Indy 500

According to Los Angeles Times, "Danica Patrick is at a crossroads on the eve of the Indy 500."

How will the Izod IndyCar Series get along without her if she bolts for NASCAR stock-car racing next year, as is widely expected?

"I don't believe I can answer that," Patrick said. "I don't know. Whether I go or whether I stay, I don't think I'm capable of answering whether or not the IndyCar series would be better or worse. I'm not sure."

Another uncertainty is whether Sunday's race, the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500, will be Patrick's last at the Brickyard. But this much is sure: No race means more to Patrick than this one.

Also: "Indianapolis 500 winner: Dan Wheldon." and "Danica Patrick Runs Out of Gas After Leading At Indy 500."

Vans Skatepark — The Block in Orange

I was out most of the day yesterday with my son, pictured with the red shorts and white t-shirt:

The skatepark hosted a Thrasher Magazine/Pro-Tec skate jam last weekend, "Pro-Tec Pool Party (Masters) 2011." Also, "Highlights From the 2011 Pro-Tec Pool Party." I don't see mention of Tony Alva at the links, although he's on the wall up in the visitors' gallery:

Also, a poster with the combi-pool pictured. It's a replica of the Upland Skatepark's original combi from the late 1970s:

I'm amazed at the memories I have when visiting the skateparks. And it's weird to think I'm taking my own kid to skate, and he's just as obsessed with it as I was when I was his age. We're going again today.

Noodling Catfish

Heard about it for the first time the other day, at Wall Street Journal, "Long Arm of the Law Penalizes Texans Who Nab Catfish by Hand." And now here comes the video clip from Maggie's Farm, "Serious Fishin'":

Not sure if I'll be givin' that one a go ...?

The 10 Sexiest Female Fighters In MMA

They’re beautiful, they’re talented, they’d kick asses. Some of these women have already received plenty of attention, others have drifted into the background while we all gossip about the ring girls. That can’t be right.

Following on from my ‘Top 10 Sexiest Fighters—the Guys’, here come the girls. Who’s your personal favourite?

Michele "Diablita" Gutierrez












Carina Paganini Damm Golcalvez








Debi Purcell












Michelle "The Karate Hottie" Waterson














Miesha Tate












Ginele Marquez






Kim Couture




Felice Nicole Herrig










Erin Young Toughill






Gina Carano