Disregarding public outcry internationally and within the borders of Tibet, the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee reaffirmed its plans to carry the Olympic torch through Lhasa. The so-called "Journey of Harmony", the name given by the Beijing Olympic organizing committee, is scheduled to pass through 135 cities on it's way to the Chinese capital for the start of the Games August 8.

Well, this should be fun. Because already we've had:

• Steven Spielberg, who was to act as artistic adviser to the opening ceremonies, quit amid continuing Chinese involvement in the form of arms sales to the country of Sudan in their conflict in Darfur.

• Great Britain's Prince Charles has announced that he will not be attending the ceremony in support of the Dalai Lama. In London, the possibility of disruption by anti-China protesters became front-page news as the announcement of the deployment of 2,000 Metropolitan Police officers, marine and air support, plus mounted police along the torch's route to the town of Greenwich.

• Rioting in Tibet, in which the Chinese army is accused of shooting monks and burning homes.

• Concerns by athletes that Beijing's infamous air pollution will not only affect their performances, but perhaps, you know, kill them.

• Some European politicians calling for an outright boycott of the Games.

And if that's not enough controversy for you, try this: "What, Lassie? What is it, girl? Timmy's friend Quon Li is trying to douse you in marinara sauce?"

In China, the term Puppy Bowl has an entirely different meaning.

But back to the torch. One of its destinations is going to be San Francisco, a bastion of conservatism where of course things will go smoothly without a hint of trouble. From Scott Ostler's column in the San Francisco Chronicle:

San Francisco officials are planning to allow protesters to protest from "free speech zones." This could require some re-writing of official documents, such as the Constitution, which, some legal scholars would argue, designates the United States of America as a free speech zone.

And they're also taking the thing to the top of Mt. Everest, so I understand. Good luck hiring Sherpa guides for that.

Getting The Torch Through SF: Charge Of The Light Brigade [SFGate]
Olympic Flame Will Roll Through Tibet On Schedule [BrooWaHa]
Beijing Boycott? Don't Tell The Olympic Athletes [ABC News]
An Olympic Disgrace [Salon]

Although Patriots quarterback Tom Brady seems more the go-to man for football advice, not relationship advice (just ask Bridget Moynahan), Brady has reached out to Jessica Simpson's new man, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, to warn him about bringing his girl to games. "After that debacle of a game with Jessica being flashed on the screens during every play, Tom told Tony to put a stop to allowing Jess to come to games. Think about it: How often do you see Gisele [Bundchen] cheering Tom on?" said a friend of Brady's.

Frankly I get a kick out of the image of Brady and Romo talking to each other on the phone about their girlfriends. Are they lying on their respective beds, with stuffed animals all around, and a lot of open magazines? Is one of Romo's magazines Tiger Beat?

Keep Jessica Away From Games, Says Tom Brady [MSNBC]

(UPDATE: Watchdog claims Gisele was there after all. We thought we could trust you, Tom.)

So you know those wacky videos they show every year of some Red Bull event where silly folks try to fly their homemade "airplanes" off a 30-foot cliff? (The 10 best crashes are here.) That's called The Flugtag, and this year, Clay Travis, of CBS Sportsline Claynation fame — and our own Tennessee Titans preview — is entering this year's "competition" in Nashville.

His entry is called "Making It Rain," and it looks like this:

The goal is to break the Wright Brothers' 120-foot flight. The Flugtag record is 78 feet. We're not sure he's gonna make it.

"Making It Rain" [Flugtag]
Who Knew This Would Involve Frozen Sperm? [ClayNation]

Of all the athletes you'd want to make fun of while he's holding a baseball, Julian Tavarez seems like a particularly dangerous choice.

If anybody knows what he's saying in Spanish at the end of this clip, we'd love to hear it.

Heckling The Wild And Crazy Julian Tavarez [Red Sox Monster]

Or, if you're Miami FC of the United Soccer League ... you can do both.

"It will be an experience for the entire family unlike any other found in South Florida," Miami FC boasts in the release. Hey, can't argue with that. "The place to be this weekend for pro soccer, free beer, and countless other entertainment and giveaways is Tropical Park Stadium watching our mighty Miami FC battle the Puerto Rico Islanders."

As we learned in college — sometimes we fear it's all we learned in college — when you give blood before you go drinking, you can get blasted, man, and for cheap! So the combination of free beer, lowered blood count and soccer can only brew up a combination of goodness for our fellow man. It should go smoothly, with no potential trouble at all.

Soccer, Free Beer And Intravenous Needles [The Futon Report]

But the young father at Empty The Bench, tongue somewhat in cheek, is gonna give it a shot anyway, but he's gonna make his son a kicker.

That kind of composure doesn't just happen. You learn it, you work on it every day. So after he's done with his homework, Kirby and I will work on pressure situations and ignoring distractions. I'll set up in my lawn chair and get the hose and airhorn out, and he'll go to work. I'll randomly shout, sound the airhorn and spray him to simulate distractions. We'll turn on the steady stream so he knows what it's like to kick in adverse weather, maybe get some sprinklers going. If he can't make a kick with a hose in his face in front of some neighborhood kids or the girl he's got a crush on, how will he ever make a Super-Bowl-winning kick? Of course, I'll put down the hose in the winter, but hopefully mother nature will give us a hand between December and March. Once he gets good, in order to increase the pressure I'll have to throw out the occasional ultimatum ("If you don't make this kick, you're calling in sick to school tomorrow!").

Our father did this to us too, though it had nothing to do with training us to be a kicker.

Andrew Kirby, The NFL Kicker [Empty The Bench]
Whatever Happened To Todd Marinovich? [Wood On Sports]