http://bleacherreport.com/articles/33585-sec-football-2008-week-by-week-preview The SEC is without a doubt the toughest conference in college football—no other conference can even compete. This year looks like the most up-for-grabs year yet. No one team is really standing out over the rest. There are a few favorites, but not a year goes by without seeing a couple of upsets. I will give you my picks and predictions of the main SEC games throughout this year and we will see how it all turns out. In the second week of the season we get the first conference game—South Carolina at Vanderbilt. Vandy had a shocking season last year and was one win away from making it to a bowl game, but ended up losing the last four games and killing their season. I don't see them being able to make it two years in a row. Steve Spurrier will find a way to get it done, and South Carolina will open the SEC season off with a win. In the third week we really start the season with a couple of revenge games. Auburn has to play at Mississippi State, and Auburn will be looking to recover from last year's 19-14 upset. I don't see Mississippi State winning again, and I have Auburn winning. The game of the week will be Georgia at South Carolina. South Carolina gave Georgia a 16-12 loss last year that kept Georgia out of the SEC championship, and possibly the national championship. Georgia had not found Knowshon Moreno at that time, but he will definitely be here this year, and he will lead Georgia to their first SEC win of the season. In the fourth week we get a few rivalry games. Alabama has to play at Arkansas and will be looking to beat them two years in a row. If Alabama could beat Arkansas with Darren McFadden last year, I see Alabama beating them again. This time, though, it won't be as close as the three-point game last year. If Alabama wants any chance at competing in the SEC West, they need to start the season off right with a win. We also get to see LSU play at Auburn. This will be the first SEC game that the defending champions will play, and if they want to win it all two years in a row, they will need to win this game. I don't think Auburn has enough talent on their team to upset possibly the No. 1 team in the nation, and LSU will escape with a win. bleacherreport 6/29/08

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8297008/Pressure-to-win-lands-some-coaches-on-hot-seat It's around this time every year when a list comes out with NFL coaches on the hot seat. With competitive balance, parity and the pressure to win, it seems like more and more coaches are coming under fire. Let's separate fact from fiction. Here's Schein's list of coaches who shouldn't fret about their job security, regardless of how 2008 turns out. Mike Shanahan: — Shanahan won a recent power struggle with ousted general manager Ted Sundquist. It's a pressure-packed year in Denver, but even if the Broncos win eight games or less, Shanahan's head won't roll. Whenever you are debating whether or not to fire a coach, an owner always asks if the club can do better. Fact is, it is impossible to do better than Shanahan. He's 130-78 in 13 seasons. Shanahan has the two Super Bowl championships. That's what you call a Hall of Fame-type resume. And I don't want to hear that he had John Elway back then and it was Elway who delivered Shanahan his rings. Shanahan got Elway to realize the team went through Terrell Davis. And I don't want to hear people question what he's done since Elway. Shanahan has chalked up four of his seven double-digit win seasons since No. 7 retired. Shanahan is one of the brightest minds in all of football. While Denver owner Pat Bowlen talked about how important 2008 was when the club axed Sundquist, Shanahan recently told me he feels no extra pressure. And he shouldn't. Shanahan will be the coach as long as Bowlen owns the team. It isn't Shanahan's fault that Brandon Marshall continues to show immaturity. And while you can question some of his moves as the head of personnel (Maurice Clarett was a terrible idea, as was the entire Browns defensive line), make sure to also give Shanahan credit for the trades that equaled Champ Bailey and Dre Bly, plus the golden 2006 draft of franchise quarterback Jay Cutler, Elvis Dumervil, Tony Scheffler, and Marshall, who despite his off-field issues has the makings of a future Pro Bowl receiver. Andy Reid: — Whenever I get e-mails (video style) here on FOXSports.com or phone calls on my Sirius NFL Radio show from Eagles fans who want to fire Reid, I shake my head and laugh. Do you remember how gruesome your franchise was before Reid? Do you honestly believe you can find someone better than this top-10 NFL coach? I don't want to hear about Reid being distracted when his kids had personal problems. Were you in the house? You have absolutely no idea. I don't want to hear about his play selection/time management in the Super Bowl vs. the Patriots. It wasn't great, I grant you, but let's look big picture. Every single year you know that if the club stays healthy, you are going to be in the mix for the Super Bowl. You don't trash something like that. He's a whopping 86-56 in his Eagles career, and that includes a 5-11 1999 season when he had to clean up a mess from a prior regime. In his next eight seasons, he won double-digit games six times, making the NFC title game four times. Andy Reid doesn't deserve hot-seat status. He deserves a statue erected outside the stadium. foxsports 6/30/08

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280630130 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- No punches, no angry words exchanged. With first place on the line in the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox stuck to playing baseball Monday night. James Shields scattered five hits over 6 1/3 innings and B.J. Upton and Gabe Gross homered, helping the Rays remain unbeaten at home against the Red Sox with a 5-4 victory that hiked their lead to 1 1/2 games in the division. "This is an intense series," Boston's Mike Lowell said. "I know there's a little history, but I think both teams played good baseball." The Rays (50-32), surprising owners of the best record in baseball, have won six of seven and shrugged off a six-game losing streak to Boston, which is 6-0 against Tampa Bay at Fenway Park but 0-4 at Tropicana Field. espn 7/1/08

http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/8300232/Woods-on-crutches,-recovering-from-knee-surgery BETHESDA, Md. (AP) - Tiger Woods does not know when he can play golf again, but he said Monday his rebuilt left knee has been sore his entire PGA Tour career and he looks forward to playing on two good legs "My left knee has been sore for 10 to 12 years," Woods said during a conference call for his AT&T National tournament, his first public comments since reconstructive surgery last Tuesday. "It will be nice to finally have a healthy leg. They assured me my long-term health will be a hell of a lot better than it's been over the last decade. I'm really looking forward to that." Woods said doctors in Utah used a tendon from his right hamstring to rebuild the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which he said had always been weak and finally snapped while jogging on a golf course last July. foxsports 6/30/08