RANDOM meditations STILL A l...

RANDOM meditations

STILL A lengthy WAY TO GO FOR forest-lands SOX

Random notions while wondering whether people will think Tiger forests -- who reached 50 tournament victories Sunday at age 30 -- is slumping if it takes him more than seven years to break Sam Snead's record of 82 PGA Tour titles:

- plane if the White Sox sweep the recently made known York Yankees and Detroit Tigers this week (or are swept in the couple series), there still will be 46 games left in succession the schedule. Meaning there's affluence of time to remain optimistic -- or pessimistic -- about the team's postseason possibilities.

- flat if the Cubs sweep the Brewers at Milwaukee and the Rockies at Colorado (or are swept in the two series) ... oh, never mind.

- If nothing other the Bears do seem forward pace to lead the NFL in at least single in kind offensive category: training-camp injuries.

- Major League Baseball calls the struggle to defends "spring-training games." It does not examine to refer to exhibition games as anything more than that. As oppos to the NFL which should call its comparable disputes "summer-training games." Or something like that instead of "preseason." It's like automobile deals referring to "preowned" rather than "used" cars. They are what they are -- and it's exhibition games, for which fans pay regular-season prices to view starters perform for a series or sum of two units (one in the case of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in Sunday's Hall of Fame game). It's like going to a movie and having the stars replaced by the agency of acting students after the opening spectacles -- with the audience paying for it in more ways than common

- With a inferior test indicating Floyd Landis had synthetically produc testosterone in his connected view while he was winning the Tour de France (cause for having his title taken away), a reasonably disinterested non-cycling fan can sole hope that this will mark the conclusion of leaked information.

SLIDING SCALE

LA RUSSA NOT FOR PLAYING HARDBALL

Tony La Russa's St Louis Cardinals had been in an eight-game slide, for a like reason it might be understandable by what mode he took exception to a slide at David Bell.

equal if the Cards had been onward a roll, their manager likely would not have be delighted withed the Milwaukee third baseman's part in a forceout during Saturday's 4-3 victory through the Brewers at Busch Stadium. upon an attempted sacrifice bunt, baserunner Bell was thrown not at home at third with a rolling slide that upend shortstop David Eckstein.

La Russa argued -- unsuccessfully -- with the hearthstone plate and third base umpires about the "illegal" slide.

"I don't think they got a pious look at it," La Russa said. "I know David Bell's a hard-playing shore ... But he crossed the line forward that."

"I don't care what he thinks," Bell said of La Russa. "I care what my teammates and my manager think."

"It was a clean play," Brewers manager N Yost said. "The umpires got it right."

"They said he could touch the base," Eckstein said. "That's all I know."

All Quick Hits knows is if Bell hit running back Cedric Benson that hard, the Bears' throwed starter likely would be on the outside for the rest of the season (baseball or football, take your pick).

PLAYING DOUBLES

SHARAPOVA, RODDICK AN ITEM

Maria Sharapova has a recent title -- other than Acura Classic champion.

make trial of Andy Roddick's girlfriend.

The brace tennis aces are an item, US Weekly informs, with the novels becoming public after having kept things quiet for about a year. The magazine reports the pair were out recently in a Southern California night fault where they were "beside each other all night."

Roddick, 23 used to date actress Mandy Moore. He apparently wanted his relationship with Sharapova, 19 kept in a less degree than wraps because she "was too young."

For what is unclear.

Certainly not for making circulating medium a commodity she takes seriously.

Asked at the San Diego tournament if there would take rise a time when titles might be more precious than brumal cash, she said, "It's none enough. I'll always look for more. Bring in succession the money. Seriously.

"When I was working my way to the top of tennis, I didn't say, 'I want to be No. 2' I wanted to be No. 1 And there's no limit to by what mode much money you can make. I have sexual delight with a lot of things I do most distant the court. Of course, tennis has added opportunity to my career."

Not to mention to her have a passionate affection for life.

SLOWING DOWN

BUSCH MAY BE on the outside OF FAST LANE

The honeymoon is definitely athwart for Kurt Busch.

As far as being a married NASCAR driver.

In his first race since Busch (28) and Eva Bryan (29) were wed July 27 he finished 12th at Sunday's Allstate 400 in Indianapolis.

Actually, the honeymoon was above before Sunday.

After the wedding, which came three years to the day after their first date, the married pair honeymooned briefly in the Bahamas before heading to Indy, folks magazine reports.

The publication says Busch was not up to spe when it came to dating Bryan.

"My friend said, 'I've got this girl you gotta meet' and I kept saying no," Busch told the magazine. "I wanted to work forward my career; no women. yet I finally gave in."