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Never thought I would hear this from Tiger Woods. Not before he was fifty anyway. Quoth Tiger about the Ryder Cup:

“Hopefully our captain will pick me.”

Good lord, Tiger. Don’t be the needy kid at the end of the line as teams are chosen for kickball at recess. That’s not who you are, dammit.

With apologies to the high schoolers who started games last week, it always feels to me like the season starts when the NFL minor league gets underway. And that would be tonight and then on over the Labor Day weekend. The only “huge” game on the schedule this weekend is Boise State’s effort to find Blacksburg and fulfill its obligation to play Virginia Tech -oops, they only have to find DC to play Va Tech. That’s what I get for not double-checking. At any rate, that one is going to be of decided interest as it is one of only two tough games on Boise’s schedule and they are the pre-season #3. Something which shouldn’t matter, but will, as the preseason rankings really give those teams at the top a real leg up in the BCS computer battles to come.

At any rate, some items worth a read as games get underway:

—Cory McCartney in si.com with his take on five teams other than Boise that could crash the BCS. His selection of Navy is shrewd in my view.

—The most recent Stewart Mandel mailbag, as always, a must read for general chatter, including this on the Boise/Va Tech tilt:

The game is an absolute toss-up, regardless of what the disparity in the teams’ AP rankings might suggest. (Boise State is No. 3, Virginia Tech is No. 10.) All of the pressure is on Boise. Virginia Tech can still go on to have a fine season either way, but for the Broncos, it could mean the difference between the Jan. 10 BCS Championship Game and the Jan. 9 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. This is also much more of a road game than a true neutral-site game (organizers are expecting 60,000 Hokies fans), and memories of Boise’s disastrous trip east to Georgia in 2005 (a 48-13 annihilation) still linger.

From a purely football standpoint, however, we know a lot more about these Broncos than about the Hokies. They’re almost the exact same team they were a year ago (20 returning starters), only older and wiser. The Hokies’ high ranking is based more on potential. Their offense should be powerful, with quarterback Tyrod Taylor now a polished senior and Darren Evans returning to join Ryan Williams in the backfield — but they did rank just 50th nationally last season. Bud Foster’s defense should be stingy, because it almost always is, but he does have to replace seven starters from a year ago, including his top three sacks leaders.

These are actually two very similar programs. They both emphasize a physical, blue-collar mentality. They both want to run the ball down your throat. (For all of Kellen Moore’s accolades, Boise actually ranked higher in rushing offense than passing offense last season.) They both feast on turnovers and special-teams play. It may sound simplistic, but the game will come down to which team is more physical. It’s how Boise beat Oregon and TCU last year, and it’s how Virginia Tech crushed Miami and Tennessee last season. I give a slight edge to the Broncos, but only because I’m more familiar with their personnel.

Perhaps. But give me Tech in a close one. Not a fun trip to make ever, getting to Blacksburg, coming to DC from as far away as Boise, and the expectations will weigh heavy.

—An overview of the games involving the Top 25 this weekend here. Tonight’s Ohio State/Marshall game can be seen if you have the Big 10 Network and the Pitt at Utah game if you have Vs.

—Mark Schlabech at espn.com with a good read on the upcoming weekend’s games including who has the most to gain and the most lose in week 1. On his “most to lose” list is forever embattled Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, with a game agaisnt UConn on the schedule. It would certainly behoove Rodriguez to win some games at some point, that’s for certain.

I guess this is really happening. The Big 10 is going to the division thing, and is splitting up Ohio State and Michigan upon Nebraska’s entrance to the league. At least they are not going to follow through on their initial plan to move the Ohio State/Michigan game to October. If they did that, they might as well have dug up Woody and Bo and skullfucked their remains. But by putting the traditional rivals in different divisions, the Big Ten has already taken a significant step toward neutering one of the best rivaliries in sport. Simply put, part of what made that rivalry so charged over the years was that so very often the stakes of the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl ticket were just enormous for both teams. It added a layer of urgency to the proceedings that great rivalries need. And now, that’s gone, or at least altered in large measure. Stewart Mandel at si.com with his foot on the problem:

I still believe the Buckeyes and Wolverines should have been placed in the same division. I may be in the minority, but I don’t see the appeal of a possible championship-game rematch a week later. It devalues the first meeting. Delany recalled the “excitement” that surrounded a potential BCS championship rematch following the teams’ 1-vs.-2 matchup in 2006. I don’t remember it being viewed quite as favorably outside of Ann Arbor. And rather than creating the opportunity for a winner-takes-the-division scenario — the highest possible stakes in the league’s new era — OSU-Michigan may no longer even be the most important game on either’s schedule. For Michigan, in 2011, that game may well be a week earlier against divisional foe Nebraska. Ohio State may well wrap up its division that week against Penn State. It’s for this very reason, in fact, that the Big Ten actually considered moving the OSU-Michigan game earlier in November. Delany said Wednesday night he initially favored the idea of saving the last two weeks of the regular season solely for divisional games. But then word leaked out, and the fans spoke — loudly.

I can’t imagine that Mandel is in the minority with those views, even if he is, he’s not wrong. The rivalry should have been fed by those two remaining in the same division. While the stakes would have changed from Big 10 title and Rose Bowl entry to division title and entry to new title game, at least they still would have been real stakes. And, again, I think all great rivalries need to have something meaningful being played for built in.

God knows the Alabama/Auburn and Oklahoma/Texas rivalries have not suffered by being in the same division. Far from it. And yet, here goes the Big 10 down the road less travelled, and for no good reason.

Just ill-advised all around.

I know it puts a hop in my step. Jay Jaffe at Futility Infielder lets his baseball rage flow at Joe Torre, and it is good reading. A taste:

No, it’s Joe Torre who quit on the Dodgers, which is why I’m so angry. Torre’s braindead mishandling of the bullpen in July and earlier this month already appeared to signal that he’d unplugged from the the team, that at 70 years old, he was too old for the bullshit of dealing with the Dodgers. That promising young players such as Matt Kemp, Russell Martin and James Loney have stalled in their progress on his watch doesn’t speak particularly well of him either, suggesting he’s lost the team — not an uncommon theme among managers past the age of 65.

Torre’s playing of Podsednik over Ramirez, whether for no good reason but his own gut instinct or as the henchman for the higher-ups is both aesthetically distasteful, and antithetical to winning baseball. Podzilla is a slaptastic hitter in the same mold as Juan Pierre. He’s hitting over .300 between KC and LA, but it’s a thin .309/.355/.388, good for a combined .275 TAv. His Marginal Lineup Value Rate (MLVr) — the number of runs per game he adds to an otherwise average lineup is .054. Manny’s is .316, the second-highest among major league left fielders. The theoretical difference is a quarter-run per game; the observed difference, as noted above, is even higher. Pretending otherwise, as Torre did, is a dark day for those of us who still held him in high esteem. As I wrote at BP, his actions feed the moralizers longing for another Juan Pierre, the ones ready to declare the team is much better, more versatile and more gosh-darn likable with a slappy speedster who knows his place than with a petulant slugger who supposedly quits on his club. Please kill me before I have to read one of those again.

Delightful. Follow the link and enjoy.

Hard on the heels of being swept in Houston and having just completed an almost inconceivable 2-8 road trip through Pittsburgh/Washington/Houston, Bernie Miklasz goes hunting for blame on what is, all of a sudden, a stunningly imperiled 2010 Cardinals baseball season. Sifting through ownership, the front office, farm director, and manager, I find his words here rather on-point:

Yes, La Russa has an offense impaired by too many dead lineup spots. I’ve never had tantrums over TLR’s lineup tinkering, but some of his recent lineup choices are baffling. Allen Craig batting leadoff? The incessant use of Felipe Lopez — who is batting .141 with a .259 onbase percentage since July 29 — in the No. 1 or No. 2 spot? And in what baseball universe does it make sense to place Colby Rasmus and his onbase and power capabilities seventh in the lineup, behind the plastic bats toted by guys like Feliz?

Fair questions. And ones that have been asked by a LOT of knowledgable Cards fans on their forums this summer. No question that injuries and a faltering farm system have handed Larussa less than ideal parts, but, damn, he sure does some fucked up things with what he has. From feuding with genuine difference maker Colby Rasmus, to taking new “toy” Pedro Felix, he of the .554 OPS and installing him at the 5th spot in the line-up behind Holliday, to any of a number of other oddities, its been weird. Even for a guy that would attend a Glenn Beck rally and claim said rally isn’t political.

At any rate, the Cardinals are off today, as are the Reds, and are 8 games behind Cincy with about 30 to play. And, more ominously, they are 5 games behind Philly in the Wild Card chase. Their best hope? 17 games left at home (where they are very good) and three this weekend against the Reds. While St. Louis has been awful against bad teams, they have been the ‘27 Yankees against the Reds (10 wins in 15 tries to so far). St. Louis needs a sweep, and with Garcia/Wainwright/Carpenter lined up for Cincy, they can easily get it. If so, life looks a lot different down 5 come Monday than it does down 8 this morning. Add in Cincy has to go to fiery hot Colorado for four after St. Louis, and if the Cardinals take care of business at home, they could be within 3 or so a week from now. And, at that point, the articles in St. Louis will be about their resiliance, rather than the need to assign blame.

Well that was quite the donnybrook in Florida last night. Actual bad blood. The usual bad fighting form (you don’t drop your arms to your side, Chris Volstad). And some rogue Red Rover Red Rover send Nyjer right over action from Gaby Sanchez. All in all, entertaining stuff from two teams going nowhere as September unfolds.

As for what started all of it, that would be Morgan. He’s had an eventful few weeks. His alleged sins:

1. Suspended for throwing a ball into the stands and at a fan in Philly. Except, by all accounts, he wasn’t throwing it at a fan. Instead, he was doing what cool ballplayers do, and flipping the last out of an inning to fans for a possible souvenir. Except that where it went the guy wasn’t looking. From what I understand, the fans in the area where it happened say he wasn’t throwing it at anyone. For this, MLB over-reacted and handed down a seven-game suspension that is under appeal. I discount this “incident”.

2. Was mean to back-up St. Louis catcher Bryan Anderson over the weekend, going out of his way to make contact when he didn’t have to. That was kinda douchy. Jim Riggleman, Washington manager even said so.

3. Killed Marlins catcher Brett Hayes in a play at the plate two nights ago, again, when a slide would have probably sufficed. Hayes seperated a shoulder on the play and is out for the season. Given that he didn’t have to hit Hayes, this one was pretty douchy too.

4. In response to the play at the plate and Hayes’ injury, Morgan got hit last night. He accepted the beaning and went to first without complaint. That’s what he should have done.

5. When on base, and with his team down by 11 in the 4th inning, Morgan stole second and third and scored on a sac fly. Remember this.

6. Next time up, Volstad throws behind Morgan, who heads to the mound to the aforementioned melee.

Apparently, the stealing bases thing was something that pissed the Marlins off and led to the second attempted beaning. One of baseball’s unwritten rules. And, if so, I really don’t get this one. If you are down 10 you are supposed to stop trying to win? It makes no sense to me, at all.

So, to recap, Morgan has had a weird couple of weeks, and was pretty much douchy in two instances. That said, I don’t get, in the end, how Morgan stealing two bases in the 4th down 11 was something that should have precipitated another beaning. I am positive that Morgan is going to get a long vacation for this, because everything above will be lumped together when his suspension is handed out, but I hope Volstad gets a long one as well. Wes Helms postgame said that Morgan stole the bases “out of spite” and that the Marlins won’t stand for “bad play”.

That’s just stupid. So, ahead of time, I plan a free Morgan campaign. Even if he is douchy.

Not a fan of this move. At all.

Not sure I can put my finger on why, and am too new a soccer fan to really put words to it. Maybe it’s just I got tired of watching the US take 15-30 minutes off at the start of matches for what seemed like the entire last four years, eternally putting themselves in holes. Eventually, it caught up to them. And that seems like a coaching issue of some sort or another. Then there was the fact that the defense never really developed, and that the last World Cup cycle felt like a missed opporutunity.

Then again, they did get to the knockout rounds, so there’s that. Even if they were borderline lucky to do so (good draw and then needed damn near a miracle late against Algeria).

At any rate, against the tide, it’s more Bradley. Sunil Gulati will do as Sunil Gulati will do, apparently.

Per usual, Grant Wahl with the must read. He notes, and this would be relevant, that in the World Cup, second acts for coaches has a rather dubious record.

So there’s that too. At any rate, it is what it is. Hope Bradley is equal to it. Not holding my breath.

Other than Michael Heisley opening his mouth and removing all doubt as to who is calling every shot in Memphis and rumors about where various young stars really want to be, here’s what else is out there during these last weeks before camps open in a month:

—Tyreke Evans is working hard on finding a consistent jumper. If he does, he will be monstrous. Over in Memphis, Hasheem Thabeet working on finding his way to a gym. If he does, it will be surprising. That pick just keeps getting better…

—The artist formerly known as Darius Miles still trying to come back, and is working out with the Spurs.

—I know you were clamoring for the 411 on where Francisco Elson was going to land, well, it appears, Utah. I bet that doesn’t do anything to stay Deron Williams’ wandering eye…

—And in some good and relevant dead zone news, George Karl plans to return to coaching this season following his battle with cancer that impacted his coaching last season. It would certainly be nice to see him back again.

…Deron Williams?

Possibly. The reading of tea leaves when it comes to young NBA stars approaching the ends of contracts has become the new off-season NBA game. With Utah already having hemorraghed a good chunk of their talent, any reason for Williams to stick around after this year?

Not really.

He’s apparently already moved away from Salt Lake, and Dime Magazine has the particulars on the situation. As for what might draw him, he’s from Dallas, and I hear Mark Cuban is fun to play for…

I am actually in the extreme minority in that I actually enjoy the NFL training camp and preseason process as currently set-up, with one caveat…this fourth pre-season game is completely useless. No way any coach with a pulse wants to risk injury to anyone of value this close to opening weekend, and they also are not going to put anything on tape of interest in terms of scheme. So, in particular, out of the four preseason games, this is the one that is pretty much useless.

At any rate, a few items of note as “please God don’t let my team take injuries” weekend approaches:

—Brett Favre is getting his eyes checked. Insert standard that’s-what-happens-as-you-age joke here. Except, well, it kinda does.

—Jay Cutler having difficulty getting in a comfort zone. That’s what happens when you fear that each time you drop back you are going to die.

—The 49ers have gone easy on Frank Gore this pre-season. Makes sense, he’s got an injury history, and his back-ups are ever on the edge of quitting their gig to seek G-d.

—Darelle Revis still holding out of the Jets circus. Vincent Jackson prepared to go to the mats in San Diego. But one flying under the national radar too much is Logan Mankins’ holdout of New England. Beast of a guard, the Pats really do need him.