Your morning roundup for Aug. 9, the day we decided not to bid on the Marilyn Monroe sex tape. H/T to Gordon for the photo. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors.
What we watched: Uh oh. The Detroit Lions might or might not be guilty of "tampering" with Ricky Williams by making overtures to him when he was still under contract with the Dolphins. And you know what that means: The league office will "look into it" for a few days, after which it may or may not decide to hand down a punishment that amounts to little more than the forfeiture of a late-round draft pick. Which, when you come to think of it, might be totally worth it for the Lions.
Florio reminds us that tampering is "strictly prohibited," but it's abundantly clear there's nothing strict about how such situations get dealt with. And, truth be told, there shouldn't be a blanket policy for handling such alleged "infractions." Players move around from team to team so much that it's easy to develop relationships with guys in other organizations. One guy making a suggestion to another guy after a game is much different than the offer of some monetary inducement. The Lions had their wrists slapped over something similar last winter. Didn't seem to have much impact, did it?
Elsewhere
Former football coach likes lady on TV: "'I understand Sarah Palin spoke here last year. I admire her,' Ditka said about the former vice presidential candidate. 'She's a great lady, mother and wife, and that's more important than the (expletive) the media spreads about her.'" [Peoria Journal Star]
Something tells me He's not rooting for you, either: "'Thank God the people don't make the decisions' on who's starting, [Kyle] Orton said. 'That's really all I've got to say about it.'" [ESPN]
Joe Paterno is fine, 84: "Paterno was 'blindsided' by a player running a drill but 'walked away after the collision,' according to a statement released Monday by the team. … 'I expect to be back at practice soon. I'm doing fine; tell everyone not to worry about me,' Paterno said in a prepared statement. 'I like the effort I have seen from the squad during our first few practices, but we have a long way to go to get ready for the schedule we have.'" [ESPN]
98-year-old woman is tenth-degree black belt, 98: "Just two years before her 100th birthday, Sensei Keiko Fukuda has become the first woman to achieve a tenth-degree black belt-the highest rank in the martial art and combat sport Judo. Fukuda is now one of only four living people who've earned the tenth-degree (or dan) black belt. To put the accomplishment into better perspective, throughout history, only sixteen people have ever achieved this honor." [Yahoo]
Yes, this is why we need women's volleyball test events: "It makes an Olympic Games and a Paralympic Games all the more important," he said on Sky TV. "We need a reason to come together. What better city to do it in than London. This is not a reflection of London, this is a reflection of the world we live in today." [AP]
Your Downhill Skateboard Racing Interlude:
Joe Flacco immortalizes new teammate Ricky Williams in Baltimore: "‘He's a pretty legit dude,' [Flacco] said." [Baltimore Sun]
We are all Dave McKenna CLXXVI: Here's your daily link to Dave McKenna's brilliant "Cranky Redskins Fan's Guide to Dan Snyder," which we'll be posting every day until Snyder's dumbass libel lawsuit gets abandoned in a snow drift.
Today in particularly depressing Mets headlines: The Top Ten Reasons to Keep Going to Citi Field [NYT Bats Blog]
Merch: Managing editor Tom Scocca and contributing editor Drew Magary have both written books. You can buy Scocca's Beijing Welcomes You: Unveiling the Capital City of the Future here, and Magary's The Postmortal here. Now do it.