"I'm very excited to be the newest member of the... Where am I? It's football, right? Three downs? The Ergonuts? Whatever, I'm not putting the jersey on. Did you just say mercury? Take the f*$king picture."

(via The Star)

David Ortiz tested positive - Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz became the latest star implicated in baseball's ever-growing drug scandal, acknowledging Thursday that the players' union confirmed he tested positive in 2003.

The KHL steals another NHL star - Russia's Kontinental Hockey League completed a contract with Detroit Red Wings forward Jiri Hudler on Thursday.

Bathing suit controversy won't go away - The latest swimsuit smackdown has nothing to do with Sports Illustrated's annual edition, though it got off to a racy enough start earlier this week.

The Boston Bruins are looking good - It's usually expected that a surprise team will regress a little the following season, but don't expect anything like that from the Beantown Bruisers.

Gatti's family wants another autopsy - Friends and family of former Montreal boxing champion Arturo Gatti refuse to believe he committed suicide.

Aside from all the hullabaloo about the NHL ignoring Canada and its slight against Jim Balsillie's Coyotes bid and subsequent goal of moving the team to Hamilton being an insult to Canadian hockey fans everywhere, one story today seems to reveal the league's board of governors as a bunch of whining old coots.

The Globe and Mail's David Shoalts and Paul Waldie report on the closed door meeting Balsillie and his reps had with the board and it doesn't sound pretty. Or logical. First, the league approved the Supreme Ruler of RIM for ownership back in 2006 and now deem him unworthy despite his bid for the floundering Phoenix franchise being $64.5 million MORE than the one they accepted from Chicago White Sox and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf ($212.5M vs. $148M based primarily on debt assumption). Now we've all heard Gary Bettman's reasons for hating Balsillie with the heat of a thousand suns, but those sound down right logical when stacked up against some of the other owner's complaints.

According to the Globe's sources, Habs owner George Gillett led the attack on Balsillie saying when the RIM CEO told a reporter the Canadiens were for sale (which they were, it was later revealed) it "destroyed the Canadiens' season." Yeah, that had NOTHING to do with what was happening on the ice. Sure, certain front office activities have been known to distract players, most notably trade rumours, but an impending sale? Puhhhlease. We're not talking the Charlestown Chiefs or Cleveland Indians in Major League here. This is the Habs. Everyone from Bob Gainey to Joey Poutine on the street knows the franchise isn't going anywhere. So what's the distraction?

The NHL's board is sounding more and more like a bitter Old Boys Club who don't like being told what to do or getting shown up by some boat-rocking whippersnapper. Even if it means losing $64.5 million and watching a failed team that had a decade in the desert to succeed reach new levels in financial clusterf*ckage. That's some pricey pride.

Halladay's last start a loss? - The subject of many, many trade rumours, Halladay allowed a season-high 11 hits in record-setting Seattle heat.

Brodeur says Crosby is the future - Olympic veteran Brodeur says kids like Crosby can lead Canada to gold.

John Daly getting another reality TV show -  Daly said Wednesday an upcoming reality show on the Golf Channel, featuring him, will provide a glimpse of his new-and-improved boring life.

Argos send disgruntled receiver Bruce to Hamilton - The Toronto Argonauts have sent disgruntled slotback Arland Bruce III to Hamilton, less than a week after leaving him behind for a road game for disciplinary reasons.

The NHL slaps Balsillie in the face - The NHL Board of Governors approved a bid Wednesday by Jerry Reinsdorf to assume ownership of the financially troubled Phoenix Coyotes, and unanimously rejected an application by Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie to buy the team. This begs the question: Why keep a failing franchise in a failing market?

It's often said that Lists are the laziest form of journalism, and yet we all find them curiously addictive. Why? Oh, let's just say to help foster healthy debate between mutually respected peers and/or spark online forums chalk full of gibbering sh*t talk. Either one.

So, Forbes named its 10 Most Disliked People In Sports (in pictures!) and, for the most part, it's a pretty middle-of-the-road list. Based on a survey done by E-Poll, a California-based market research firm, the list doesn't take into account personal bias, team rivalries and all the other factors that regular sports fans hold on to so in order to qualify, most of the listees here are convicted criminals, alleged criminals, cheaters and plain ol' a**h*les. At Number 1, Michael Vick is a safe choice seeing as he had a hand in dog torture, but we're not entirely sure guys like Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury deserve to be on the list. Sure they can be seen as ego cases, but does that really put them in the Top 10? Then there's Kobe, who's whole rape trial thing did a number on his image, but he's seemed to have emerged from that episode with his marketability intact -- this year's NBA championship and Finals MVP certainly couldn't hurt.

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Brett Favre is staying retired - For now at least. The 39-year-old Favre called Vikings coach Brad Childress on Tuesday to tell the coach he won't be coming out of retirement to play for Minnesota.

Rogers committed to the Jays - Rogers says it's committed to Blue Jays, costs can be brought 'under control'. Now if only the Blue Jays brass can commit to its fans.

BMW leaving F1 racing - BMW is pulling out of Formula One at the end of this season, the second car maker to leave the series within a year as a severe global economic downturn hits new car sales and forces manufacturers to cut costs.

Sidney Crosby is bringing the Cup east - Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is bringing the Stanley Cup to his hometown in Nova Scotia on Aug. 7, the day he celebrates his 22nd birthday.

The end of an era - General Motors Co. will end its half-century run as sponsor of the Buick Open golf tournament as it tries to focus scarce marketing dollars on its cars and trucks, a person briefed on the decision said Tuesday.

OK, that's a little harsh but after reading through the soundtracks for NHL 10, NBA Live 10, FIFA 10 and Madden 10 it's hard not to be a little pessimistic. Plenty to like on all of these, but overall it just reeks a bit like the result of the ever-present record company "partnership." Y'know the ol', "We'll let you use THIS song but then you have to use THIS song" type deal. So for every Beastie Boys, there's a Nickelback. Did you know Papa Roach is still around? For someone who questioned why they existed in the first place, this is not a pleasant surprise. Predictably, NHL 10 has the whitest line-up of them all, at least at first glance. Who knows, maybe Thousand Foot Krutch is a hiphop group? Yeah, well, with a name like that, I'm not even looking it up.

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Jays slap the Mariners around - Felix Hernandez hadn't tasted defeat in more than two months. Then again, he hadn't faced the Toronto Blue Jays.

Steve Nash gets a raise - The Canadian basketball star officially signed a two-year, US$22 million extension with the Suns.

Leafs add more grit -  The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Wayne Primeau from the Calgary Flames for defenceman Anton Stralman and forward Colin Stuart. I have a question: WHO WILL SCORE GOALS FOR THE LEAFS!?

The RBC Canadian Open is finally over - As Nathan Green concluded his remarks to the media yesterday after winning the RBC Canadian Open over South African Retief Goosen in a two-hole playoff, the skies opened and rain began to fall.

Lance Armstrong rips Tour de France winner - Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong are sniping at each other again, following a fragile truce during the Tour de France.

Matt Hill will be teeing it up in his 3rd PGA Tour event this coming Thursday.

The 20-year-old amateur from Bright's Grove, Ont., has accepted an invitation to this week's Buick Open at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club. (Full story here)

To celebrate Hill's invite and the end of a great Canadian Open, we figured we would do a quick giveaway. For a chance to win an RCGA hat and men's medium golf shirt, as well as a Sympatico/MSN hat, send the answer to the following question to thecheapseats@sympatico.ca.

Again, send your answers to thecheapseats@sympatico.ca, and Thursday afternoon we will randomly pick a winner from the right answers. (Hint: http://www.rcga.org/teamcanada)

UPDATE: Changed the deadline to Thursday afternoon. Anyone who already emailed a correct answer is still in the running!

UPDATE 2: The giveaway is now closed. We will pick a winner Friday. Thanks to everyone who sent in the answer!

Robert Thompson files his latest column regarding the conclusion of the 2009 RBC Canadian Open and it's champion, Nathan Green.

For Green, an affable Australian with an affinity for Canada, it was a fitting conclusion to a rain-soaked tournament.

"I think my umbrella is worn out," he said with a smile, half-joking.

Read the entire column here.