A sad end
Former NBA player Lorenzen Wright's body was found Wednesday in a wooded area in Memphis near his mother's home, after he had been missing for nine days. The last anyone heard of Wright, someone called 911 from his cellphone late at night; at least 10 gunshots were heard before it went dead. Wright played his college ball at home in Memphis and played five years for the Memphis Grizzlies. The recently divorced 34-year-old had been in town to visit his six children, planning to bring them back to his home in Atlanta the next day for the rest of the summer. The reports say he didn't have any enemies, but was known to carry a thick wad of cash.
Heated LeBron fan
And so it begins. A fan wearing LeBron James's new Miami Heat jersey got so much flack at a Cleveland Indians game Wednesday night, he had to be escorted out of the ballpark. Hundreds of fans shouted obscenities, and threw beer cups and peanuts at him. Seriously, what did he think was going to happen, given the feeling in Cleveland right now? We feel sorry for his date.
Miss Iowa miffed
When Washington Nationals pitcher Miguel Batista joked that the fans that came to Nationals Park Tuesday just to see phenom Stephen Strasburg (who went on the disabled list) and instead saw him had "come expecting Miss Universe and ended up with Miss Iowa," you knew it wouldn't end there. He meant nothing by it other than this: you come to see one beautiful woman, and you end up seeing another beautiful woman -just not the one you expected. "I know I can throw a pitch or two!" 20-year-old Katherine Connors, the reigning Miss Iowa, said in a statement Wednesday. "The question is, can Miguel Batista walk the runway in a swimsuit?" The Miss USA people invited Batista to be a judge at the Miss Iowa pageant in October, an offer he shouldn't refuse. Batista also immediately sent Connors flowers.
We're big time!
NCAA investigations of major U.S. college programs are a dime a dozen these days. But North Carolina defensive-end Robert Quinn sees the sunny side of his program being examined. "I was like: 'Man, we're in the category with Southern Cal and Florida,' " Quinn told the Raleigh News-Observer. "Two big programs and North Carolina, so I guess with all this craziness going on, that's a good thing. We must be doing something right." Well, that's one way to look at it.
Student Clarett
After three years in prison, former can't-miss NFL prospect Maurice Clarett is back in school. He started classes Monday at his old stomping grounds, Ohio State. Clarett's re-admittance came after a review by the College of Education and Human Ecology. Human ecology was Clarett's major. In case you wondered, it's "the trans-disciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments." After three long years in the hoosegow, Clarett will ace that "social and built environment" test.
Reggie who?
Tuesday, the newly released 2010 USC football guide listed seven Heisman Award winners on its cover. Suddenly, on Wednesday, it had a brand-new cover -with only six Heismans. The eradication of former star running-back Reggie Bush from the USC consciousness continues; someone just forgot that pretty major detail.
smyles@thegazette.canwest.com
