• Home
• About
• Privacy Policy

Subscribe

The Melbourne Cup: A Day at the Races

Australia’s annual thoroughbred horse race for three year olds and over, the Melbourne Cup is billed as The race that stops a nation. Held on the first Tuesday in November by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, the Melbourne Cup day has been a public holiday since 1877.  It is largely known as the most prestigious “two-mile” handicap in the world and one of the world’s most challenging horse races.

Bet on Melbourne Cup

If you are looking for an updated source of Melbourne Cup odds and news, Bet on Melbourne Cup blog is the site to visit. It has comprehensive coverage of the the Melbourne Cup, including the latest odds and updates, news, and the history of the Melbourne Cup.

Several horses and jockeys have made history in this 137 year old annual event and the tradition continues as the games become more and more exciting with tough competition always buzzing. The great thing about this event that makes it a hit to Australians is the level of participation every spectator can have. Horse racing is a betting sport which makes it all the more exciting for both owners, jockeys and fans alike.  Whether you just like to keep up with the latest news and updates or check out the Melbourne Cup Odds, or you like to indulge in Melbourne Cup Betting, you can find the latest information at the Bet on Melbourne Cup blog at racingreport.com.au.

Ex-Stripper Says She Spent Two Nights With Alex Rodriguez

A former Boston stripper has come forward saying she slept with Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez twice in 2004 — and that Cynthia Rodriguez “did the right thing” by filing for divorce.

“A leopard doesn’t change his spots,” Candice Houlihan told Boston Herald. “Good for her. I think she’s doing the smart thing. And she’ll probably get tons of cash.”

Houlihan, 31, says she shared two nights with A-Rod while he was on the road in 2004 after she met him during a Yankee-Red Sox clash at Fenway Park in July of that year.

“He introduced himself, asked me who I was, and if I wanted to meet up for drinks later. I was like, ‘Hell, yeah!’”

Then she and A-Rod, 32, went back to his suite at the Ritz Carlton hotel and had sex, she says.

Houlihan, a source told the paper, felt guilty when she found out Cynthia Rodriguez, 35, was pregnant with the couple’s first child.

“She realized his wife was having a baby, so that put a damper on any thoughts she had,” the source said.

But they got together again three months later, according to Houlihan.

Meanwhile, Us Weekly reports that A-Rod has been “in love” with Madonna since at least January.

At dinner with a friend in Miami that month, the Yankees third baseman “began tittering like a smitten schoolboy” over text messages with a woman, according to Us.

“He kept smiling, acting as if he was a little kid,” A-Rod’s friend reportedly told Us. “He told me it was Madonna. I was shocked.”

“He proceeded to say he was in love with her, but I thought he was kidding,” the friend said. “But he wasn’t.”

In February, the friend said, A-Rod told him, “She’s my f—ing soulmate, dude!”

Madonna denies having an affair with Rodriguez, and insists her own marriage to British director Guy Ritchie is not on the verge of ending, despite reports they both have consulted divorce lawyers.

In divorce papers filed Monday in Miami-Dade County Family Court, Cynthia accused A-Rod of “extramarital affairs” and called their six-year marriage “irretrievably broken.”

Cynthia did not name names in her six-page petition. Her lead lawyer, Earle Lilly, denied speculation that Rodriguez had a sexual relationship with Madonna, 49, calling it “an affair of the heart.”

It wasn’t “sexual infidelity,” Lilly told People.com.

Cynthia and A-Rod have been married for more than five years. She has asked for primary custody of their two children — Nathasha Alexander, 3, and 2-month-old Ella Alexander — as well as child support and alimony.

Rodriguez is in the first season of a $275 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees, a deal that allows him to earn up to $305 million. He made $185.45 million from 2001-7 from his contract with the Texas Rangers and Yankees.

Favre sends text message to Packers GM Thompson

The Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre are publicly remaining quiet on reports that the quarterback is reconsidering his decision to retire. But according to media reports, that doesn’t mean there’s no activity behind the scenes.

Favre has said little about the report that he was considering a return to the NFL, other than telling the Sun Herald of Biloxi, Miss. that “it’s all rumor” and that there was “no reason” for a media frenzy. And the Packers said they had “no reaction” to ESPN’s report that Favre had an “itch” to come out of retirement and report to training camp later this month.

But WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee reported Monday that Favre sent a text message to Packers GM Ted Thompson on Saturday — and that Thompson’s reply was that he is on vacation and the two men will have to talk later.

And Sports Illustrated reported on its Web site Monday that Thompson has ignored phone calls from Favre’s agent, James “Bus” Cook, while sending an intermediary to Mississippi to talk to Favre. According to that report, Cook is expected to request that Favre be taken off the NFL’s reserve/retired list within the next 10 days.

Last week, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported Favre had communicated his potential desire to return to coach Mike McCarthy, but that talks had not advanced to a substantive stage, according to a Packers source. The source said the Packers would be reluctant to open the door for Favre because “Brett retired for the right reasons, even though I know his family is tugging on him [to play].”

And at least one Packers player said that Favre hasn’t completely gotten the game out of his system.

Last week on ESPN’s “NFL Live,” Packers defensive back Al Harris said: “I’ve talked to Brett and I know he has the itch to come back and play. If he will or not, I don’t know. But I know he’s feeling he wants to play.”

When asked how Favre expressed his desire to return, Harris said the quarterback said, “I got the itch.”

Citing NFL sources, multiple media outlets in Wisconsin reported last week that Favre or his agent contacted the Packers about returning a few weeks ago and the conversation ended with the quarterback asking for his release. The team reportedly refused his request.

If Favre indeed decides to return, that would put the Packers in an awkward situation. The entire offseason has been spent preparing Aaron Rodgers to play quarterback to the point where “the offensive scheme has evolved” and psychologically closing the door on Favre’s legendary 17-year career.

If Favre asked the Packers, in writing, to reinstate him to active status, the team would have to comply or release him.

Vick files for bankruptcy protection

Falcons among seven creditors listed in federal court filing

Michael Vick filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal court in Virginia Monday, citing debts of $10 million to $50 million.

One of the creditors listed in the court papers filed by the imprisoned Falcons quarterback is the Atlanta Falcons for a claim of $3.75 million as a pro-rated signing bonus. The claim is listed as disputed.

Of the six other creditors listed in the court documents three are banks, including two that recently won judgments against Vick. The largest creditor is Joel Enterprises, Inc. with a claim of $4.5 million. That claim is also listed as disputed.

Calls to Vick’s attorney listed in court documents, Paul K. Campsen of Norfolk, Virginia, and the Falcons where not immediately returned.

Vick is currently serving a 23-month prison sentence in Leavenworth, Kansas for his guilty plea in federal felony charges related to dogfighting. His release date is July, 2009.

According to court documents, upon his release from prison Vick “will return to his home in Hampton, Va. and will seek to rebuild his life and career.”

Church’s Status, and His Ailment, Remain in Question

The Mets faced the sobering possibility Monday that outfielder Ryan Church, one of their key players, may miss an extended period of time. Church returned to New York late Sunday night and underwent neurological testing Monday afternoon to determine whether his recent episodes of dizziness and nausea were related to postconcussion syndrome or to the migraines that he said he had experienced for years.

General Manager Omar Minaya declined to comment on whether Church’s condition had worsened over the last day. He added that he was hopeful Church would not need to be placed on the disabled list for the second time in a month.

“You make the decision by how he’s feeling,” Minaya said Monday, before the Mets went over .500 (45-44) for the first time in more than a month with a 10-9 victory against the first-place Phillies. “If the doctor says that the symptoms are normal symptoms, which is what we’ve been told so far, we will continue to allow him to play if he feels well. If they’re not normal symptoms, then we’ll have to make a decision whether we wait around or we D.L. him.”

Church was examined in Manhattan by a concussion specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery, the team’s medical provider. He had a magnetic resonance imaging test of the brain and the neck, and the results were negative. His status is day to day.

Six days after being activated from a 23-day stay on the disabled list, Church left Saturday’s game in the eighth inning with what he called normal symptoms of a migraine: intense pain down the right side of his face, throbbing behind his eyes and dizziness. He and the team’s head trainer, Ray Ramirez, consulted with one of his New York-based neurologists, who Church said assured him that those symptoms were not related to his previous two concussions.

“Based on the information we have so far, they are more migraine-related,” said Minaya, who added that he received that information either Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Before Sunday’s game, Church said he felt nauseated and sensitive to light, which are common recurring symptoms for migraines and postconcussion syndrome, and he did not improve over the course of the day. Citing team policy, the Mets have refused to disclose the names of the neurologists who have treated Church or permit reporters to speak with them.

“It’s one of those areas that you have to trust the medical experts,” Minaya said. “All the tests that are being done, CT scans, all that stuff, have come out great.”

This is the third instance since Church sustained his second concussion in less than three months, on May 20 in Atlanta, that he has told the Mets and reporters that he did not feel well. The first time, which came immediately afterward, in Denver, Church acknowledged his “killer” headache, and compared the sensation to being on a fishing boat in the Bering Sea. Last month in San Diego, Church said he felt “a heartbeat in my head” and complained of fatigue. When the Mets returned to New York, they placed him on the disabled list. Church said he was told that his prior concussions could trigger the onset of a migraine, but it remained unclear how closely the two are related.

After being removed from Saturday’s game, Church told reporters that he started getting migraines in his freshman year of high school. Minaya, who was the general manager in Montreal when Church played there in 2004, said he remembered Church having migraines. But Brian Schneider, in his fifth season as Church’s teammate, said he could not recall his complaining of migraines or leaving any games because of them.

The Mets were roundly criticized by medical experts for letting Church play within 48 hours of sustaining his second concussion, and the team has since acknowledged that it erred by exposing him to the pressurized air in an airplane and the high altitude in Denver. Since then, however, they have been more cautious in their approach, reviewing their protocol for handling concussions and not leaning on Church when deciding whether he would play.

“We took it out of his hands,” Minaya said.

Before Friday’s game, Church said that he felt fatigued and that he “welcomed” getting a day off after playing five consecutive games. On some level, the Mets have had to rely on his honesty in telling them how he has been feeling, and it is possible that, as he has acknowledged in the past, he felt obligated not to let down the team.

While the Mets await word on Church, they are no closer to getting back another injury-plagued outfielder, Moises Alou. Minaya said Alou may continue his minor league rehabilitation sometime this week. Minaya acknowledged that Alou, after playing in his only game in Florida last Tuesday, felt soreness in his left calf that impeded his progress.

With three weeks until the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline, Minaya said he would continue to evaluate whether he needed to add another outfielder. He ruled out Barry Bonds, who remains unsigned, and said he was hopeful that Alou and Church would return soon.

“If that changes, then you have to start re-evaluating and look at the market a little more aggressive than we have been looking at it,” Minaya said.

Pirates slug way past Astros

Pittsburgh lineup makes up for Dumatrait’s tough startLuckily for the Pirates, hitting is contagious, but pitching is not.

On a night when starter Phil Dumatrait gave up seven runs in 3 1/3 innings, the Pittsburgh offense pummeled Houston for 14 hits on its way to a 10-7 win at PNC Park on Monday.

Dumatrait, who was making his first start since June 19, was given a rude welcome by the Astros, who capitalized on several of his high pitches and missed spots.

Pirates manager John Russell said the lefty’s outing was due purely to rust, while Dumatrait said it couldn’t “get much worse.”

“I think he was trying to make things happen, rather than just pitch a little bit,” Russell said. “It affected his offspeed pitches, especially. I thought he was jumping toward the plate too much.”

Dumatrait gave up three runs in the first on Carlos Lee’s two-run blast to right field and Ty Wigginton’s RBI single.

Dumatrait shut down the Astros the next two innings before things got ugly again. Wigginton, a former Pirate, led off the fourth inning with a double, and he scored when Dumatrait misplayed Runelvys Hernandez’s bunt along the third-base line.

Lance Berkman then laced an RBI double to the left-field wall to score Darin Erstad. That play brought Russell out of the dugout. The Pittsburgh skipper pulled Dumatrait after 72 pitches, including 38 strikes.

“My arm felt good,” said Dumatrait, who was activated from the disabled list on Monday after suffering bursitis in his left shoulder. “I just didn’t get the job done tonight. It’s been 17 or 18 days, but I’m not going to make any excuses. I elevated everything and I got behind every guy. Obviously at this level you can’t do that.”

However, the Bucs offense had Dumatrait’s back each time the lefty had a tough inning. Pittsburgh answered Houston’s three first-inning runs with four of its own. All four were scored with two outs.

Xavier Nady, Adam LaRoche and Doug Mientkiewicz each had an RBI single, tying the game at 3. Then, with runners on first and third, Dumatrait helped his own cause with a bloop single. It was the pitcher’s first Major League hit and RBI.

Nate McLouth added a homer, and Nady connected on an RBI double to make the score 6-3 in the second.

When Dumatrait was taken out in the fourth, it could have gotten a lot worse for the Pirates, but reliever Denny Bautista settled things down.

The right-hander’s 2 2/3 scoreless innings were just the start to a near flawless performance from Pittsburgh’s bullpen. Bautista, Tyler Yates and Damaso Marte didn’t allow the Astros another hit, making the Pirates’ four-run fourth inning stand as the deciding factor.

“You couldn’t have asked for anything more,” said catcher Ryan Doumit, who gave the Pirates the lead for good at 8-7 in the fourth with his 11th home run of the season. Then Bautista, like Dumatrait, connected on his first career hit and RBI to put the Pirates up by two runs. Jack Wilson added an RBI single to close out the scoring.

“Both of them came in very big situations where you’re not really expecting it, but when we got it, it was really a big help for us,” Russell said of the singles from his pitchers.

Every Pirates batter, except pinch-hitter Jason Michaels, collected at least one hit. The offensive outburst gave Pittsburgh a much-needed win after a three-game sweep in Milwaukee this past weekend. The win also flip-flopped the Pirates and Astros in the bottom of the National League Central standings.

“After having a tough last three games and to come back and jump on the board and score some runs [was very good],” Russell said. “Guys just kept staying aggressive and driving in runs. Coming home, we knew this was going to be a big homestand for us. We got the first one out of the gate. We need to continue to push.”

Jimenez solid as Colorado wins on road

After watching a four-run lead almost disappear, manager Clint Hurdle was able to breathe a sigh of relief at the end.

A tremendous start by Ubaldo Jimenez, a steady effort from his offense and one very good inning from his closer gave Hurdle and the Rockies a 4-3 win on Monday night as they opened a four-game series against the Brewers at Miller Park.

“It was great, it was my first [road] win,” Jimenez said. “And it’s not only about me, the team won. We lost yesterday and we started with a good one tonight, we won.”

Jimenez, who has struggled mightily on the road this season, had a great outing in Milwaukee. The right-hander baffled the Brewers for seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out seven.

He struggled with his control early on, walking four batters in the first two innings, but worked quickly and was able to keep his pitch count down the rest of the way. He faced just 16 batters to get 15 outs in his last five innings of work.

“[Jimenez] was very efficient three through seven,” Hurdle said. “Four walks in the first two innings, got himself in some jams but was able to get out of them. He settled down, he made pitches and used all of his pitches.”

Jimenez improved to 4-8 on the season and his ERA dropped to 4.21 with the performance. Seth McClung (5-4) struggled with his control and picked up the loss for the Brewers, allowing two runs on three hits and five walks over 4 2/3 innings.

“[Jimenez] was good. He fell behind, but he made pitches,” Brewers manager Ned Yost said. “When he’s in the strike zone, he’s going to do well. When he’s not, he’s going to get kind of like Seth did [on Monday].”

Jimenez faced the minimum three batters in four of his seven innings of work, even if he did it a little unconventionally. He allowed a single to Ryan Braun in the third inning and another to Corey Hart in the fourth, but was able to pick both off at first base.

“I was surprised when I got them,” Jimenez said. “That was my first pickoff. We’ve been working on that since I signed and tonight I got two. Probably [my first] since Double-A.”

“He threw a pretty good ballgame,” Hart said. “It didn’t help that we got picked off, but even with that, we didn’t have many baserunners. They were able to get the timely hits and got a pretty good lead.”

Colorado’s offense was never able to break through and put a crooked number up on the scoreboard, but it did manage to get just enough runs for the win.

The Rockies scored single runs in four straight innings. In each of the fourth and fifth innings, they managed to score against McClung, and the club kept it going in the sixth and seventh against Milwaukee reliever Carlos Villanueva.

“That’s the way the game is,” Hurdle said. “When you have opportunities [to score] you’d like to cash in, but you don’t always cash in. That has been one of the areas that has caused us some problems this year.

“But we had four straight innings with a run and went into the eighth inning with a four-run lead.”

The Brewers threatened in the eighth inning, roughing up Rockies reliever Taylor Buchholz following a couple of defensive miscues.

Joe Koshansky, who is filling in for injured Gold Glove first baseman Todd Helton, made an error that allowed the leadoff batter to get on, and then a pop fly by Craig Counsell dropped on the infield at the feet of three Colorado defenders.

“We just need to catch the ball,” Hurdle said. “That’s poor defense that really should not happen at this level, somebody needs to take charge on the play. It really wasn’t an issue of [Buchholz] pitching that bad tonight. The first two guys got on and they shouldn’t be on base.

“He had balls that should have been outs.”

After the first two runners of the inning reached base and Buchholz induced a double play that scored a run, Prince Fielder smashed a two-run homer to make the score 4-3.

“He would have liked to have put Fielder away and give up one, but he’s our guy and he deserved to face him. He’ll be alright,” Hurdle said.

The Rockies managed to kill the Brewers’ momentum as Manny Corpas came in to get the last out of the eighth inning and Brian Fuentes worked a perfect ninth to record his 14th save of the season.

“That’s as good a save as [Fuentes] has had all year,” Hurdle said. “It’s a tight situation, the game is swinging a little bit, and he’s able to come in and get three up, three down.

“We were able to add some drama to it and keep everybody in the ballpark,” he said with a chuckle.

Matt Holliday hit his 14th home run of the season in the seventh inning to wrap up the scoring for Colorado. He led the offense, reaching base three times, with two hits and two RBIs.

The All-Star extended his hitting streak to 11 games and is now batting .345 with 14 home runs and a whopping .426 on-base percentage on the season.

“I think he’s in as good a place as we’ve seen him in a long time,” Hurdle said. “He’s getting such better reads. He’s working good counts, seeing the ball so much better and using the whole field.

“It is fun watching him hit right now, he’s a very confident hitter.”

Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick reunited on NBC

On a busy Monday on the NFL broadcast front, Dan Marino officially lost one of his two TV gigs, as expected, and Dan Patrick rejoined former ESPN “tag-team” partner Keith Olbermann, this time, at NBC.

The details:

- Inside the NFL, moving from HBO to Showtime, unveiled its new cast: CBS studio host James Brown, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth and CBS lead analyst Phil Simms. Collinsworth is the only commentator accompanying the show in its move from HBO, whose Inside the NFL cast also featured Bob Costas, Marino and Cris Carter.

CBS, which is producing the program for Showtime, will add a fourth commentator - either a permanent analyst, analysts on a rotating basis, or current players on bye weeks. Marino wasn’t invited to move to Showtime but will keep his job in CBS’ studio.

“We wanted to have some connection to the HBO show with Collinsworth,” CBS Sports president Sean McManus said. “We wanted to have some CBS presence, but we didn’t want it to be a CBS show in its entirety. Dan has a really important role with CBS Sports. It was more of a numbers game. It wasn’t so much we didn’t want Dan on the show. I think Dan understands that.”

Inside the NFL will run 23 weeks on Showtime, beginning at 10 p.m. on Sept. 10. HBO dropped the show after 31 years.

- Patrick and Olbermann - perhaps ESPN’s most popular SportsCenter team ever before Olbermann left - will be reunited 11 years later as cohosts (along with Costas and others) on NBC’s Football Night in America at 7 p.m. Sundays this coming season.

Patrick and Olbermann, who have done some radio together in recent years, will split up most of the narration of highlights. Besides Costas, the other cast members also return - Collinsworth, Tiki Barber, Jerome Bettis and Peter King.

“Bob will do fewer highlights, and he knew this when he was pushing for this idea more than 15 months ago,” NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said. “Costas has never counted lines in his life.”

Under terms of his departure from ESPN, Patrick wasn’t allowed to take the job with NBC last season. But beginning Sept. 1, ESPN can no longer restrict Patrick’s TV opportunities.

“When we worked together from 1992 to ’97, we were as good as any five people in the business,” said Olbermann, who anchors a weeknight news show on MSNBC. “The undercurrent was for him to crack me up or me to crack him up.”

Patrick - who has a syndicated radio show and writes a column for Sports Illustrated - said when Olbermann left SportsCenter for a job at Fox, “I said you’ll never get this again. We never tried to understand why it worked. It just did.”

Patrick’s Olympic duties for NBC will begin at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Utley latest Phillie to compete in Derby

One of the more enjoyable moments from Chase Utley’s first All-Star appearance in 2006 was him videotaping Ryan Howard’s long drives out of PNC Park.

Hopefully for Utley, who will participate in the 2008 State Farm Home Run Derby on July 14 at Yankee Stadium, he learned something from the big guy. Utley, however, readily admits he doesn’t consider himself a home run hitter, despite his Major League-leading 25 home runs.

“I have my work cut out for me,” said Utley, acknowledging that he never imagined himself in this type of competition. “I was in one in [Class] A ball, in the Florida State League, and that didn’t go so well. Nobody hit any home runs. Everybody was shut out, and the guys that advanced were the guys that had the league lead at the time.”

That likely won’t be the case this time, as confirmed participants Lance Berkman, Grady Sizemore, Josh Hamilton, Dan Uggla and Utley have quite a few home runs on their ledger. Utley likened the competition to a round of batting practice, and maintained his focus will be on hitting line drives.

He’ll bring catching instructor Mick Billmeyer with him to Yankee Stadium. Billmeyer threw to Jim Thome in Houston in ‘04, and the excited slugger didn’t get out of the first round.

Bobby Abreu and Ryan Howard won back-to-back titles in ‘05 and ‘06, respectively, and Howard returned in ‘07, but didn’t advance out of Round 1. Utley will give the Phillies five straight years with a Derby participant.

“Hit ‘em hard and hit ‘em far,” Howard said, with a laugh. “I’ll give him the rundown of what to do. I remember Lance Berkman told us not to swing at every pitch, then went out there and swung at the first four or five. I’m going to tell Chase to get in a rhythm. Don’t swing at every pitch, because you’ll get tired quick.

“You get as much time as you need. Just get a good rhythm and if it’s not a long ball, step out and regroup. Grab a Gatorade or whatever. I think he’ll be fine. There’s a short porch out there to right. Lefties have the advantage.”

Billmeyer agreed. Thome tired quickly after taking extra batting practice before the Derby, and swung at every pitch Billmeyer threw.

The key for Utley will be to think of it as a line-drive contest. In that case, he’ll win if he does.

“He’s like an assassin,” said Billmeyer, who joked that he’ll throw nothing but “splits and sinkers” to Utley. “He just stays through the middle of the field. He never tries to take one out in BP. Later this week he might try. He’s going to try to win it, but he doesn’t want a bagel.”

Utley’s compact, short stroke is perfect for Citizens Bank Park, and he often peppers line-drive homers to right-center field. Twice this season, he’s homered in five straight games, so he’s been streaky, too.

“Chase is a good line drive hitter,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “When he hits home runs is when he’s going though streaks where he’s getting the ball in the air. He hits home runs by hitting the baseball correctly and being a smart hitter.

“I’m not surprised he’s leading the league. He’s kind of slacking off. He hasn’t kept the pace up he was on. The Derby is kind of compliment to him.”

Howard reminded Utley of the most important thing.

“Enjoy yourself,” Howard said. “That’s what it’s there for. Just to go out and have fun. Hit some home runs. Nobody wants to go out there and put up the goose egg. Once you get the first one, you start to get into that rhythm and you’re good to go. Everything is downhill from there.”

If nothing else, he’ll be prepared. A voracious connoisseur of video of opposing pitchers, Utley was asked if he would study Billmeyer’s motion.

“He throws a lot of fastballs,” Utley said.

“I make a pretty good batter’s eye for him,” Billmeyer said, patting his broad chest.

Beasley stars in summer league debut

Michael Beasley didn’t care that players from other teams ringed the gymnasium to watch him play, didn’t bat an eye at the thought of this being his pressure-packed pro debut and, most impressively, didn’t back down one inch at facing established NBA players Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas.

Beasley was so cool and so smooth throughout his often effortless-looking 28-point, nine-rebound demolition of the Chicago Bulls’ summer league squad Monday that the only criticism was that he did it all while singing a song aloud.

The same easygoing manner, however, wasn’t evident in the debut of fellow rookie Derrick Rose, who looked jittery and shockingly unsure of himself at times in this showdown of the top two players selected in the NBA draft. Rose, a playmaking point guard, went No. 1 to Chicago and Beasley No. 2 to Miami, but on Monday at least, it clearly was the Heat’s new power forward who was far and away the best player on the floor.

Beasley, whose work ethic and off-court focus was questioned in the days before the draft, might have put some of those concerns to rest Monday with a dazzling display of offensive moves. Nothing, he admitted afterward in a sometimes wacky postgame news conference, was going to change him from being the cocksure player who easily dominated college basketball and had his way in Monday’s professional debut.

“It’s just basketball, man. Played it in college, high school and middle school,” Beasley said with a smile following Miami’s 94-70 thumping of Chicago. “The same game, same concepts, the same rules. I was just out there having fun.

“You can put the Jolly Green Giant out there. I’m going to still play, man.”

And play he did on Monday, thrilling a crowd of more than 500 NBA executives, players and scouts at the Orlando Magic’s headquarters. He put up 21 shots in 23 minutes and because he attacked the rim so much he got to the free-throw line 12 times (with nine makes). Clearly, the cracked sternum that he sustained Wednesday in his first practice with the Heat didn’t deter him from attacking the rim with reckless abandon.

Whereas most of the rosters in the summer league event are loaded with journeyman free agents and raw rookies, Chicago’s was stacked with more proven talents in Noah and Thomas. While they did combine to block five shots, neither proved much of a match for Beasley. The slightly undersized power forward had the ball in his hands more than Rose, Chicago’s point guard, for long stretches of the game. His ability to shoot with range, put the ball on the floor and thrive in traffic gave the Bulls fits.

“I felt like me, man,” Beasley said simplistically, adding that the sternum injury didn’t deter his play in the slightest. “I don’t play to get injured, and if it happens it just does. I just go and play.”

In Rose, Chicago selected a dynamic point guard who possesses the rare combination of size, speed, athleticism and vision. But the 19-year-old looked somewhat shell-shocked by the magnitude of the moment early on Monday. His first pro shot was a woefully short airball and things didn’t get much better for him in a shaky first half. He did get better after the half, showing his tremendous burst as he got to the rim a couple of times for layups. But overall, Rose said he was already looking forward to today’s second summer league game.

His final line — 10 points, four assists, five turnovers — wasn’t horrible, but his five missed shots, four wayward free throws and general passiveness frustrated him.

“You don’t want to know what I think [about how I played],” Rose said dejectedly. “I think I played bad. We didn’t win and I think I played horrible. But tomorrow is a new day.”

Westbrook better than OK for OKC

Monday also marked the first game for Oklahoma City’s new franchise, just relocated from Seattle. Because the team’s former nickname (SuperSonics) and color scheme (green and gold) will remain in Seattle, Oklahoma City had pedestrian black-and-white uniforms with only the words “OKLAHOMA CITY” and an NBA logo printed on the jerseys.

Reigning rookie of the year Kevin Durant and head coach P.J. Carlesimo were on hand as Oklahoma City lost 95-78 to the Indiana Pacers.

But what had to be particularly encouraging to the OKC franchise was the successful debut of rookie point guard Russell Westbrook, the fourth overall pick in the draft.

He had 15 points in the first half and 18 for the game, using his superior size to get anywhere he wanted to. He handed out five assists and had just one turnover in 31 minutes of handling the ball.

“I was a little nervous, but really I haven’t played five-on-five basketball since March Madness in the Final Four,” Westbrook said. “For me, this week is just about getting back in the flow again.”

Super Mario

Rose was the featured backcourt attraction in the Miami-Chicago game, but it was Miami’s Mario Chalmers who won the point guard matchup.

Chalmers, who hit the game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime in Kansas’ national championship victory against Memphis, surprisingly dropped to the 34th pick in the draft after being projected by some as a mid-first-round selection. After scoring 11 points, tallying six assists, grabbing four steals and giving Rose fits with his ball-hawking defense, he admitted that he’s playing with something to prove this week.

“I’m definitely trying to use that for motivation to push myself, but at the same time that’s not something that I’m thinking about,” Chalmers said of plummeting on draft night. “I’m just trying to show the Heat that I can run a team from the point guard position and earn a spot.”

They meet again

The Rose-Beasley showdown was clearly the marquee matchup of the day, but an interesting undercard was the pairing of Orlando’s Courtney Lee and New Jersey’s Chris Douglas-Roberts.

Orlando drafted the 6-foot-5, 200-pound Lee with the 22nd pick, determining that he was a better fit than Douglas-Roberts, the All-American from the University of Memphis with the unorthodox jump shot. Douglas-Roberts, who worked out in Orlando against Lee in the weeks before the draft, fell all the way to 40th in the draft.

Lee admitted he was full of nervous energy, and ended up with 13 points and three rebounds on Monday, while Douglas-Roberts shot better (7-of-14), scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds.

Said Douglas-Roberts: “Don’t you see me playing with that chip on my shoulder?”

Rooneys Are Considering Selling Part of the Steelers

Ever since Art Rooney used $2,500 to pay the N.F.L.’s entrance fee for his franchise in Pittsburgh in 1933, the Rooney clan has been among the league’s grand old families. Along with the Maras in New York, the Rooneys have been behind a single team for the entirety of their existence.

But a statement released Monday cast doubt on how much longer that will be true.

The Steelers announced that the family had spent the past two years examining a restructuring of the ownership. A statement on the team’s Web site said that part of the franchise could be sold, and part could be consolidated under the control of Dan Rooney, the team’s chairman; and his son Art Rooney II, the team president. Dan Rooney is the oldest son of Art Rooney Sr., who died in 1988.

The move would help the Rooney family, which owns racetracks in New York and Florida, fall into line with the N.F.L.’s policy prohibiting the joint ownership of a team and certain gambling operations.

On its Web site Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the franchise had been “secretly shopped to potential buyers.” The article did not name those prospective buyers.

The Steelers’ statement did not explicitly mention the possibility that outside interests could acquire part of the team.

“I have spent my entire life devoted to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football League,” Dan Rooney said in the statement. “I will do everything possible to work out a solution to ensure my father’s legacy of keeping the Steelers in the Rooney family and in Pittsburgh for at least another 75 years.”

The Rooney family has led the franchise through five Super Bowl championship seasons, from the team’s dynasty years of the 1970s through a victory in Super Bowl XL in February 2006.

A similar concern was raised in baseball in 2006, when Robert Nutting, the chairman of the Pittsburgh Pirates, bought Seven Springs Mountain Resort in western Pennsylvania.

A casino with 500 slot machines was planned for the resort, but Nutting abandoned the project because Major League Baseball forbids club owners to own or operate casinos.

Justin Masterson off to become reliever

The last time Justin Masterson pitched in relief, he salvaged a local college star’s dream. Now the Red Sox rookie will be out to help build back up a bullpen.

Manager Terry Francona confirmed yesterday that Masterson was being sent down to Triple-A Pawtucket in order to integrate in a new role, as a reliever. For the 24-year-old right-hander who posted a 4-3 record with a 3.67 ERA in nine major league starts this season, it will be the first time he has worked out of the bullpen since serving as the closer for the Cape Cod League’s Wareham Gatemen in the summer of 2005.

“He just dominated,” said former Babson College catcher Teddy Dziuba, who played against Masterson while with the Bourne Braves. “He was electric. Back then you couldn’t touch the kid.”

Yesterday’s announcement, which included the promotion of outfielder/first baseman Jeff Bailey from the PawSox, paves the way for the return of Clay Buchholz to the big league rotation. Masterson will pitch in relief in the International League tomorrow, Friday and Sunday before being re-evaluated at the All-Star break.

“In my mind I had thought about it,” said Masterson, who was informed of the move upon arrival at Fenway Park [map] prior to last night’s 1-0 Red Sox win in the homestand opener against the Minnesota Twins. “I was thinking maybe I would go down, keep starting and come back and maybe get another spot start. And maybe when we get to later in the season go to the bullpen.

“In my head I know we have a lot of good starters, so something is going to happen and I have to go somewhere. What it was I wasn’t sure. So when they brought me in it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, no!’ It was an opportunity. It was my chance to stick and help out any way I can help out.”

In his previous stint as reliever, Masterson not only was named to the Cape Cod League All-Star team, but only blew one save all summer.

As it turned out, the time Masterson struggled in was the final one of Dziuba’s 10-game contract. Dziuba’s homer off Masterson was the only one he surrendered all summer, and the catcher stuck around for not only the rest of that summer but all of the next, ultimately leading to him getting drafted by the New York Mets.

“Everybody has their moment of glory, and that was mine,” Dziuba said. “My bags were packed. I was heading home for my fiancee’s birthday, and the rest was history. A career was born.”

Masterson’s career path still appears to be trending toward that of a starter. Along with not giving up more than four runs while lasting at least six innings in all but one of his big league starts, Masterson showed an improved ability to get out left-handed hitters, previously thought to be his biggest struggle.

Lefty hitters managed just a .238 batting average against Masterson. He allowed opponents just a .220 average with men on base and just a .189 average with runners in scoring position.

“I think he has a chance to be really effective against some right-handed hitters. He can come up in a stretch against the middle of the order and he has a chance to be very effective,” Francona said of Masterson returning to help the ballclub in a relief role.

“I think sometimes a guy’s stuff out of the bullpen can play up (velocity) also, and we view him as somebody like that. When he first got here, or in big games or on extra rest, his velocity has been up a tick.”

Bullpen bails out Eveland, Athletics

After throwing his 100th and final pitch for a ball, walking the bases loaded with a one out in the sixth inning and his A’s nursing a one-run lead Monday night, Dana Eveland walked off the mound to polite, tepid applause from the home crowd.

Two pitches later, Brad Ziegler walked off the mound — to genuinely wild applause, and into history.

The routine double-play ball Zie