Tracks of my tears

Jamie McMurray reportedly cried after winning Saturday’s Pepsi 400 at Daytona by a whisker over Kyle Busch. I’m all for NASCAR overcoming those “Talladega Nights” stereotypes, but talk about going waaaaay too far in the other direction.

Not exactly Clemens vs. Gooden

Jake Peavy and Dan Haren are the starting pitchers in tonight’s All-Star Game. These guys are the best baseball offered in the first half of 2007? And you wondered how guys were hitting 25 to 30 homers at the break without steroids or amphetamines.

Watch it for the wrecks

A late-race crash affected most of the riders in the second stage of the Tour de France. Three more weeks of that and 100 people in the U.S. might actually start watching.

Just a kid being a show-off

52-year-old Brad Bryant, who won one, measly, stinking tournament in his PGA life, captured the U.S. Senior Open. That’s why the Champions Tour is a joke. Unless the 50-to-54 players are hitting from the black tees and everyone else loads up from the reds, it’s like Vladimir Klitschko fighting Christy Martin for the heavyweight title.

She’s a brick … house

Venus Williams moved up to No. 17 in the world after her fourth Wimbledon title. Women’s tennis rankings are the most deceptive, meaningless charts since the Billboard Hot 100 during the disco era.

Too young for the Yankees, too threatening to Schilling’s ego

Mark Buehrle finally signed a four-year, $56 million extension with the White Sox. Chicago is buried in the American League Central and in the second season of its next 88-year World Series drought. But it’s not about the money, of course.

Not counting the profits Paul Newman gives to charity

Don Nelson wants a contract renegotiation that will nearly double his base pay for coaching the Golden State Warriors to $6 million. Now that Bob Barker is retired, wouldn’t that make Nellie the highest-paid 85-year-old performer in America?