Random thoughts...While craving a Silo burger and fries

What would an impending NBA season be without the Shaq Man threatening a player, coach or entire franchise? Shaq says the Spurs were "cowardly" in fouling him in last year's playoffs while maintaining a lead. I say the Spurs played smart basketball by exposing a glaring weakness of their opponent. As depressing as it is to see Shaq hobble up and down the floor, it's even more gut-wrenching to read him talk trash. The big fella's bark is much louder than his bite these days, so I'm not expecting any of his vintage 30/15 efforts against the Spurs this year...

Fantasy owners, prepare for frustration in owning a Dallas Cowboy receiver. With Tony Romo out for at least a few weeks, Brad Johnson and his linguine arm will have a tough time throwing downfield to T.O. and Roy Williams. Add Jason Witten (probably the most likely to be consistent) and Pat Crayton, and you have yourself a full-fledged cluster-you-know-what. And when Romo gets back, will he feel more indebted to making T.O. happy, welcoming Roy to the team by targeting him, targeting Crayton to let him know he won't get lost in the shuffle or going to Witten, his best bud? Some might say Romo holds the key to unlocking the treasure chest that is the Cowboys' receiving core, but no NFL quarterback will be under more pressure to diversify his passes...

Actual Article That One Would Suspect to Find on The Onion: Dan Quayle gave Sarah Palin some vice presidential-advice. That's like Pacman Jones advising an NFL rookie on how to conduct one's self in public...

In the end, Rays-Phillies is probably for the better. The teams have been more consistently superior all season than the Red Sox and Dodgers, and they really have the more complete teams. There's enough star power among Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford for MLB to promote. The obvious storylines would be Tampa Bay emerging as an elite team, ala the Cleveland Indians in Major League. And then there's Philadelphia's quest to end the 26-year professional sports team championship drought. And, no, Philly's Arena Football League's title this year doesn't count...