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Can you imagine showing up for work 3,769 consecutive days? I can’t and neither can Roger Clemens, but that’s exactly what Orioles umpire attendant Ernie Tyler has done over the last 47 years. On Sunday Tyler will end his streak when he attends the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies as guest of Cal Ripken Jr. Tyler feels that Rikpen’s big day is the perfect time to end his streak and he has no regrets.

“I saw him was he was 12 years old. I knew his father well,” Tyler said Thursday. “What better time to do it than to go now? When I heard he wanted me to go to Cooperstown, how could I say no? The streak doesn’t mean that much when you’re thinking about your relationship with the Ripken family.”

“If I were ill or got hurt, there might be some remorse,” Tyler said. “But under the circumstances, there are no regrets whatsoever. I thought about it for two weeks now, and I’m just overwhelmed and honored to go up there with him.”

Tyler’s decision means that somewhere an industrious young umpire’s assistant will become the new active leader in consecutive games worked.

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With all the attention being given to poker, spelling bees, and Sudoku, there is one group who of people feeling left behind—the professional checkers players. Last week their fading brotherhood gathered in Memphis for the 41st American Pool Checkers Association Tournament, and it was just as intense a competition as the 4th of July hot dog eating contest or the World Series of Poker.

The tournament featured characters such as Jack Katcher, a Ukraine native who made his living as a professional checkers coach, and Calvin Monroe, a man known simply as “Iron Claw.” Many people at the tournament were eager to spread the word that checkers is not the simple kids games it’s thought to be.

“There are millions of moves in checkers,” said Wayne Lockheart, 55, this year’s tournament director. “Most of the checkers players have a library of books.”

I think the checkers players deserve their 15 minutes of fame. There’s no reason First Take can’t go on hiatus for a week (or forever) and be replaced with televised checkers.

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Last week former Duke lacrosse coach Mike Pressler returned to Durham to discuss his new book about the Duke lacrosse rape allegations. While speaking to the crowd he took the opportunity to let it be known that he is not a fan of the school.

“I’m not going to miss Duke,” Pressler said, explaining that it was his friends at Duke he would truly miss and criticizing University administrators. “When you’re wrong, admit you’re wrong. What is the message you’re sending to these guys, to America’s youth?”

Those are some strong feelings. Even the most impassioned Duke hater never went so far as to say that the school is corrupting America’s youth. Interestingly enough, Coach K seems to disagree.

It’s easy to look back and say everything that you would have done or that could have been done. Instead of rehashing those things-we could have taken care of the kids better, we could have done this better-Overall we could have done that better. Could we have done that worse? Absolutely, we could have done it a lot worse. Right now, especially [after the conclusion of the Nifong hearings], there’s a great deal of closure now that has happened with Nifong.

I’m not quite sure how the situation could have been handled any worse, but it’s nice to know that Coach K’s expectations for his school are so low that he’s pleased with how it handled the situation.

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After 15 seasons, the rigors of playing Major League Baseball may finally be causing Mike Piazza to crack—either that or he just doesn’t like it when fans throw things at his head.

While waiting in the on-deck circle during last night’s game in Anaheim Piazza was hit in the head by water bottle, and he is already swearing to make the perpetrator pay.

“I’m pressing charges,” Piazza said. “He’s going to spend the night in jail. He hit me right in the helmet. … It’s just inexcusable at a baseball game to throw a bottle at someone. Just a joke.”

After speaking to reporters, Piazza was taken to another area of the stadium to identify the suspect, Roland Flores, 22 of La Puente (Los Angeles County). Flores is being held for assault and battery at the Anaheim Detention Facility.

It’s unacceptable for fans to be throwing things at athletes, but this seems like a bit of an overreaction. I can already picture a Samuel Jackson-inspired Piazza showing up to the man’s sentencing and screaming “And, I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers! And, you will know my name is The Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee!”

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–Michelle Wie’s next tournament could be a little bit awkward. [Sports By Brooks]

–Photographers have begun protesting the NFL’s new rule that requires them to be walking advertisements. [Editor and Publisher]

–The San Jose Sharks have a new logo…sort of. [San Jose Mercury News]

–Ernie Simms owns 10 dogs. Does that mean there is a Vick-like cause for concern? Probably not. [Epic Carnival]

–The Steelers are in for a tough training camp. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

–Watch out for cheerleaders from Texas. [100% Injury Rate]

–Priest Holmes is ready to play football again. [Kansas City Star]

–Everything you need to know about Dimitri Young. [A Price Above Bip Roberts]

–Mike Silver is leaving Sports Illustrated. [The Big Lead]

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When The Washington Post launched Washington Post Radio last year nobody knew how long it would last. Now there is an answer, and it’s not good. Despite featuring the Tony Kornheiser Show and Washington Nationals broadcasts, the station’s days are numbered.

Word around the Post newsroom is that listener ratings are so low that the newspaper will close down its radio operation this fall at the end of the Washington Nationals baseball season.

The most interesting part of it is that Kornheiser’s gig broadcasting Monday Night Football could be responsible for the station’s final decision to shut down.

The fact is that the only thing that brought throngs of ears to 1500 AM was Tony Kornheiser’s morning gab fest about sports, music, or whatever he fancied. Tony left last month for vacation and then Monday Night Football, and Post Radio ratings tanked.

It’s not really their fault, but because MNF is involved I’m just going to go ahead place the blame for the demise of this perfectly good radio station squarely on ESPN’s shoulders.

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America may no longer be the best at manufacturing cars or winning international basketball competitions, but this country can always count on being #1 in crazed athlete parents. However, after what occurred last Sunday in Canada, even that may no longer be the case.

A team from Hillcrest had battled a team from Wexford, and were moments away from winning the game when the mother of a Hillcrest player took exception to a call by the teenaged ref. When the referee’s father tried to intervene to protect her, the woman allegedly punched him in the face, yelling at both of them.

Oh by the way, the game was between two teams of 8 year-old girls and the referee was a 14 year-old girl. The most amazing part is that the parent was protesting a call that went against the team which was ahead 3-1 and just moments away from winning the game. I guess the mother really needed her daughter’s team to cover the 2.5 goal point spread.

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It’s a good idea to do certain things if your city is set to host the Olympics. These things include building new stadiums, hiring proper security, and ensuring that the public transportation is adequate. Also, it’s probably a good idea to make blood doping illegal.

With the 2012 Olympics just five years away London may soon join the anti-doping party. The leading medical adviser to the Games, professor Arne Ljungqvist, has recommended to the London 2012 organizers that they press the government to make doping a criminal offense. Ljungqvist believes that unless legislative changes are made, it will be significantly easier to cheat at the London games than it was at past Olympics.

Because possession of doping substances is illegal in Italy, last winter police were able to conduct a raid of Austrian rooms in Turin that uncovered a full scale doping laboratory. Under the current laws in England, police would not have been able to conduct that raid.

It’s good to see London in finally getting with the program. I lived there for five months and I can tell you nothing is more annoying than walking through the park and getting harrassed by 10 street vendors trying to sell you EPO.

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When the end of October rolls around and the Cardinals are 1-6, there will be one piece of good news for their fans. On October 27th the Arizona Super Bowl Committee is throwing a free Super Bowl kickoff party in honor of it being 100 days before the Super Bowl.

The party will be an all day affair and for entertainment the committee hopes to land at least one big name national music act (I hear somebody in the organization is close with Nick Lachey). The party could also feature appearances by Cardinals cheerleaders and players, although that’s assuming coach Ken Whisenhunt punishes his team by making them spend their bye week at the party.

While it may seem early to be planning a Super Bowl party, that’s pretty much all Arizona fans have to look forward to. And by holding this one in October, Arizona residents will be able to double their pleasure by also having Super Bowl parties in February. It’s all enough to make them forget the Cardinals still owe Edgerrin James $20 million over the next three years.

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ESPN can buy Jimmy Kimmel and LeBron James, but their dirty “Who’s Now” money cannot buy the WAC. Last week the conference turned down the the WWL’s contract extension and it could become a “free agent” when its current 6 year, $6 million deal expires in 2010.

The WAC is banking on the fact that the buzz from Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl victory will allow it to get a more lucrative deal. ESPN’s offer was for about $3 million a year, but the WAC is likely seeking a contract similar to the 7 year, $38 million deal the Mountain West Conference recently signed with CSTV.

Could the WAC’s subtle “we don’t need ESPN” statement be a sign of things to come? Is it evidence of a crack in the ESPN monopoly that could soon cause it to come crashing to the ground like Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust? Probably not, but like Mary Swanson, I’m telling you there’s a chance.

On another note, you really have to feel bad for Gary Bettman. Every week he’s probably mailing some new flashy NHL pamphlet to the ESPN headquarters hoping it will wow them enough to give the league a TV contract. Meanwhile the WAC—a conference featuring schools such as Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State—is turning down an ESPN TV deal. At least Bettman is still part of the Versus family.

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