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Thursday thoughts (or what passes for thoughts around here): After all the gifts Mariano Rivera has received in his farewell tours, it was more than kind of the New York Yankees closer to give back by blowing a save in his final appearance Wednesday (Aug. 7) at U.S. Cellular Field. The Chicago White Sox actually winning the game 6-5 in 12 innings for a sweep of the three-game series was an added bonus.
WWE Divas champion AJ Lee is scheduled to attend Chicago Comic Con.
* While the Yankees and White Sox are having bad seasons (yes, a 57-56 is a bad season that most Sox fans would kill for rather than have a 43-69 mark that the 2013 squad has posted), nothing highlights their futility quite like all the .300 hitters in each team’s lineup. Which would consist of Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham (.310).
* Speaking of the Yankees, third baseman Alex Rodriguez appealed his 211-game suspension. To make thing interesting, couldn’t commissioner Bud Selig — using the “best interests of baseball” — have the arbitrator make the ultimate outcome double-or-nothing?
* Speaking of Rodriguez, Yankees manager Joe Girardi took exception to Sox fans cheering when Chris Sale hit A-Rod with a pitch Tuesday. Girardi thought the adults in the audience who behaved like that were setting a bad example. As opposed to a ballplayer who takes performance-enhancing substances and tries to obstruct an investigation. Not that anyone is naming names here, of course.
* Donnie Murphy’s three-run home run in the ninth inning at Philadelphia broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Chicago Cubs a 5-2 victory against the Phillies. In three games, he has nine at-bats and four hits — three being home runs. While the mathematical calculation department is not open while today’s masterpiece is being crafted typed, I’m fairly certain Murphy will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, if he can keep up such frequency with his homers.
* Wizard World Chicago Comic Con runs Thursday-Sunday at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Among the celebrities scheduled to attend are WWE Diva AJ Lee and WWE’s CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler. WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and former Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman. Along with a whole bunch of other folks, including actresses Linda Blair and Morena Baccarin, among others. Information on the event is available by clicking here.
If this is Thursday (and all signs are pointing to that –mainly because yesterday was Wednesday), then it is time once again for “Sports & Torts” on Talkzone.com with co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris at noon Central time. The highly acclaimed interview show (well, it is held in such high regard in the Spada and Harris households, as well as reportedly elsewhere) features two members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Kansas City Chiefs/Green Bay Packers/Minnesota Vikings Jan Stenerud and Baltimore Colts defensive tackle Art Donovan. The interview with Donovan likely was the last he conducted before his death Aug. 4. His voice sounded a bit weak, but he still had the wit and recall that made for wonderful story-telling. The show also will be available on podcast later Thursday at the Talkzone.com site.
Here is where we go for a daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the endless efforts of the editorial and video departments at elliottharris.com and their generous definition of “gratuitous”):
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