Billionaire Ron Burkle was in talks to buy dead movie studio Miramax. It was just sold to a Burkle-less group of investors.

Guess he’ll have to be content with the Pens and Mario and Sid and a Cup and billions of dollars. Damn.

Thanks to Tall Cathy for this. It’s a half-zebra half-donkey baby zedonk. And close enough in size and relative cuteness to a mini pony.

Flozell Adams. [OFTOT]

Neal Huntington might’ve gotten something for Matt Capps. [WHYGAVS]

10 things that last longer than a night with Rick Pitino. [Guyism]

Bosh + Wade + James = Illuminati. [NESW Sports]

The Jonas Brothers look like terrible baseball players. [Sportress of Blogitude]

Saying Citi Field is hard. [Larry Brown Sports]

The USA Today also featured Mark and included quotes from McGovern.

When I read this piece on Jared Dudley’s basketball camp, it became pretty obvious to me that Jared not only has his head on straight but has a long-term plan for himself and his career.

A few BC names popped up on HD’s best position’s piece.

Providence basketball announced our game is scheduled for December 8.

This is a roundup of Donahue’s latest recruiting efforts.

Marc Eckō’s Complex Magazine blog recently wrote about the professional sports hats with the biggest representation in the world of gangs. Dodgers and Reds hats were the most popular, primarily due to the Bloods and Crips. They listed the “Top 10,” but clearly left off the classic Black and Gold Pirates hat. The colors are synonomous with the famous Latin Kings gang. And you know if GTA San Andreas had an official MLB license, they’d probably put a few Buccos hats on their Los Santos Vagos gang.

That gets ‘em no gang-love, Marc Eckō?

And I love homeboy’s wedding ring in that top pic.

There is too much adorable in this picture.

Eric Tangradi. [Wilkes-Blog on The Pensblog]

Buccos won! [WHYGAVS]

TSW dishes on Jeff Pearlman’s lazy Big Ben column for SI. [Black and Gold Tchotchkes]

Pope-in-baseball-hat Photoshops. Awesome. [Deadspin]

Michigan fans probably like R. Kelly. [Detroit 4 Lyfe]

Killer MMA finish. [Chicago's MMA]

On the other hand, Georgia will play Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 12th to open the season. This is the Friday Night before the Auburn road game. MVSU had an RPI of roughly eleventy billion (ok…325th out of 347th). They play an up tempo style, but they stink.

As a point of reference our buddy ScenicCityDawg pointed out that former Dawg Drazen Zlovaric rained down 16 points of awesomeness on these guys two years ago in Athens as part of a 41 point victory. Uhh….that was 35% of his total points over his two year UGA career.

It’s not an ideal RPI match-up, but it’s Game 1, and everyone plays a few of these bottom feeders.

Tentative Basketball Schedule:

Home:
Xavier
UAB
Marshall (rumored)
Arkansas State
Mississippi Valley State
Plus 3-5 more teams

Road:
Georgia Tech
Saint Louis

Neutral:
Notre Dame (confirmed)
Plus 2 more in Orlando

Any other rumors you’re hearing? Let us know. MemphisDog will start working them. From what I’ve heard, we can eliminate Miami, Penn State, UNC and NC State from the rumor mill. Those are were all either non-starters despite the early rumors, or they fell apart during the process.

PWD

This preview thinks BC will go 10-2. I love the optimism, but don’t think our schedule is as easy as they do.

Mike Gambino hired his first assistant Scott Friedholm. The Providence grad has coached at Navy and Maine.

Ryan Quigley spoke with his hometown paper while coaching at a kicking camp. He seems like another good BC guy.

IMG acquired our radio rights holder ISP Sports. This probably doesn’t mean a whole lot for BC. The only real synergies might come in ad sales and marketing programs when IMG puts their marketing clients in ISP’s broadcasts.

Here is a decent season preview from a Virginia blog.

BC hoops recruit George Matthews is trying to decide if he should go to prep school for a year or give college a shot now.

Cardinals Mets Betting – Thursday, 12:10 PM ET

Blake Hawksworth (4-6, 5.23) was shelled in a 6-5 loss in Chicago as he was tagged for six runs (five earned) on seven hits over 4.1 innings, striking out four and walking three. He was also taken deep twice, and even though the Cardinals came back to make a game of it, Hawksworth put them in too big of a hole to come back from. Hawksworth has faced the Mets once this season, in relief, and he tossed 2.1 scoreless innings, and this is his first start against them, going 0-0 in four appearances with no earned runs in 6.2 innings of work. The 27-year-old righthander has a 5.50 ERA in 15 appearances on the road for the Cardinals, and NFL football betting players would compare this to a team putting in their backup as Hawksworth has bounced back in forth between the rotation and the bullpen all year.

Johan Santana (8-5, 2.79) had his fifth straight start in which allowed no more than one run, scattering five hits over seven innings with four strikeouts and a walk in a 6-1 win in Los Angeles over the Dodgers. Santana has been on fire this month, going 3-0 in five starts with a 0.71 ERA, and the opposition is hitting just .199 off of him in July. The two-time Cy Young winner had a no-decision against the Cardinals early this year, tossing a four-hitter over seven scoreless innings, and he’s 2-0 in four starts with a 2.03 ERA against the Cardinals. In 10 starts at Citi Field, Santana is 6-3 with a 2.81 ERA this season.

MLB betting odds should favor the Mets at home, and the matchup is stacked heavily in their favor with Santana on the hill against Hawksworth, who is really a relief pitcher, but he’s been pressed into action with a St. Louis rotation that is, outside of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, is very week. Sananta has gotten on a roll after a slow start, and with the Mets struggling as they are, he knows how important each game is. Santana’s record against the Cardinals is very encouraging, and he’ll look to send his Mets into the weekend on a high note against a team that many feel will win the National League pennant.

Bet On Sports – New York Mets

What We Are Getting
He falls into a category of player that Jim Harrick once labeled “guys that start shooting the moment they get off the bus.” Coach Durham called guys like Caldwell “makers” instead of “shooters.”

Basically, he’s a guy with the confidence of J.J. Reddick, Chris Lofton or Dennis Scott. But he’s got more natural athletic ability than those guys. He’s not as athletic as Jarvis Hayes, Travis Leslie or Mike Mercer, but he’s a capable athlete who can play some defense, create his own shot and bomb from outside and mid-range.

He needs to put on quite a bit of weight to handle more diverse body types of opponents because he’s rail thin, but the potential is there. It’s not an accident that ESPN, Scout and Rivals all listed him as a Top 10-15 player. This kid is truly special.

How We Got Here:
Thank you Lonnie Outlaw. When Outlaw signed on Signing Day, most Dawg fans scratched their head with a collective Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. The signing day value of Outlaw…and Kenarious Gates for that matter are…are more clear now. Mark Fox and Mark Richt were manufacturing momentum and leveraging some lucky breaks:

Lonnie Outlaw (WR) is related to Nick Marshall
Kenarious Gates (OT) high school bball teammate with Caldwell
Caldwell and Marshall are extremely close friends.
Clemson’s basketball coach leaves.
Marcus Thornton (Mr. Basketball) leaves Clemson.
Georgia wins Thornton at last minute.
Georgia lands Marshall as two sport player.
Marshall and Thornton help us land Caldwell.

That’s how you manufacture momentum by capitalizing on your lucky breaks and knowledge of relationships.

Good stuff.