The Weak Ender

The Internets are abuzz this week with news that Amanda Beard is going to be posing for Playboy. And the only word that really comes to mind here is over-compensation. Beard has long tried to shed the image of sun-soaked teenager carrying a teddy bear to the Olympics into an international sex symbol. Posing for cheesy rags such as FHM did not have the desired effect so now she must divulge the full-monty in Playboy. The winners in this case are those who enjoy this type of voyeurism.

Now where does Beard rank among athletes that have bared all for Playboy, including Gabby Reese, Amy Acuff and Kelly Monaco. (Hey, dancing is a sport.) Beard has always been kind of cute especially, as Zach LS notes, when the airbrush is in heavy use. But she looks a little long in the mouth, almost John-Elway like making it seem she might be better suited for the WNBA.

If you would like to weigh in, the Big Picture is having its latest poll.


DOPES

Ricky Williams has failed yet another drug test, ruining any chance he had to come back to the NFL. You really have to admire his determination and admiration for the chronic. Sure it has likely cost him millions of dollars, but you have to be impressed with the commitment. The only question is, why is Williams still subjected to drug tests? He was out of the league last year. There is no way the NFL can enforce its drug policy when the dude isn�t even in the league.

But is Williams a bigger dope than say, PacMan Jones who went to a strip club on the eve of a hearing in which he was being reprimanded for attending a strip club? Wow. It�s not hard to imagine why these guys make such bad decisions. Not that attending adult establishments are illegal, but damn, use just a little common sense. If a little light didn�t go off in Jones� head saying, �This might be a bad idea,� there really is no hope for him.

• Speaking of dopes, the Falcons are going to get �stern� with Mike Vick. Quick question, is there anybody left out there who thinks that the LT for Vick trade was a bad idea for the Chargers? There were a sprinkling of holdouts even as late as last season, but those have to be gone by now.

• So much for the Golden State Warriors. The first round upset was nice, but it really sets up some bad basketball.

• Derek Fisher is on the Jazz? Excuse the ignorance on NBA finance and the salary cap, but why did the Lakers let this guy go?

THE LINKS

Blog Cabins has one of the most important posts you will ever read. A look at the Cannonball Run.

Steroid Nation notes that baseball players still pop greenies.

Seventeen games for the NFL?

AND FINALLY

The Angels showed some power on Thursday afternoon, even as Jose Molina stole home. The Angels actually won with the long ball on Wednesday night with home runs from Gary Matthews Jr. and Kendry Morales. But something still needs to be done about the third base position, where Chone Figgins clearly isn�t cutting it. The San Diego Padres will be in the market for a third baseman this summer, too, and one of the names that already is surfacing is Troy Glaus. Would the Angels be able to swallow their pride and make a deal to bring back Glaus? Probably not.