This should be interesting.

Cold Omaha is taking a much needed (and deserved) summer break.

See you in July just in time to get ready for the 4th and more fun.

Nice Beavers

The Oregon State Beavers are your 2007 College World Series Champions.

With the 9-3 win last night against North Carolina, the Beavers swept the series and won back-to-back championships for the first time since LSU did it back in 1996-97. Someday we at Cold Omaha are going to go to the real Omaha and watch the College World Series. Hopefully our favorite college team not residing in Minnesota (yes, the Beavers) will be playing when we make that trip in the future.

Congrats Beavers.

Just trade him already.

Kevin McHale is going to screw this up.

The Wolves have spent the last 10 days talking to teams about trading Kevin Garnett. Two teams have been mentioned as possibilities, the Celtics and the Suns. Last night Garnett said he wants to play for the Suns and not the Celtics.

Garnett is not going to sign here when his deal expires after the 2008 season, that much is clear. Nobody can blame him for that. But here's the problem; a month ago, the Wolves would have had a hard time getting anything close to $.60 cents on the dollar for KG. Now that McHale has essentially admitted that he wants to deal him and KG has said no thanks to the Celtics, they are going to be lucky to get anything of value back in return.

If he is traded to the Suns, the Wolves have to get Amare Stoudemire in the deal, otherwise it makes no sense to trade Garnett. Just let him play out his contract and see if maybe you can resign him at that point.

As you can see in the photo above, KG loves Steve Nash and he would like to play along side him in Phoenix. Fine, send him there. But you have to get something back in return that is worthwhile. I don't trust Kevin McHale to do it.

It's a stone cold lead pipe lock that Joe Theismann is pissed.

Back and better than ever.

You know how much we love Mike and Mike here at Cold Omaha. Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg have the best show in town by far (not that there's a whole lot to compare against right now) and we never, ever miss a broadcast. Well...sometimes we don't like it when they are on location, because they always seem a little off their game, but otherwise the show is okay.

But anyway...

Now Mike and Mike are going to be doing Monday Night Football on opening weekend when the Cardinals play the 49er's. Mike Ditka will be in the booth too. Mike and Mike and Mike.

They had the spelling bee, too many commercials to count, pages in ESPN The Magazine, and the highlight show every afternoon on the mother ship. We noted a while back that they might be getting a little too much exposure. But still, we like them.

I am sure some of you want to tell them to Just Shut Up, but (for now at least) I say bring on more Mike and Mike. They kind of made Arena Football worth watching for a couple of minutes, they will make the NFL great.

Lumberjack Love.

You gotta love small city living. It's Rochesterfest this week (this month?) and the Lumberjacks/Lumberjills are in town doing their thing.

It’s good clean living at its finest.

Two-for-one day in Prescott, Wisconsin.

When I was a kid, we never had female teachers sleeping around with junior high school kids. Now it seems like you can't open up the paper or turn on the internet box without reading a story about some teacher "teaching" one of her pupils.

The most recent story hits pretty close to home. Apparently, a substitute teacher in Prescott, Wisconsin, was having sex with one of her 13-year-old students.

The best part of the story is the fact that the boy was dating the woman's daughter just prior to getting the call up to the "Show" with mom. They grow up way too fast, don't they? One day the kid is going to the movies with the daughter and the next day he is hot and heavy with her mom. I weep for the future and the present.

You can read all about it here:

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_167120525.html?45

Smoot says "...there was no sex party." We say..."Okay Fred, whatever you say."

Where were you in October 2005? Were you living in Minnesota? If not, did you hear about the "Love Boat" sex party that some of the Vikings had on Lake Minnetonka? You heard about that, right? You agree that it happened and well... it happened. Right?

Fred Smoot plead guilty to disorderly conduct related to the incident. But now he says nothing happened on the boat.

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20070618-122312-8593r.htm

According to legal documents, it kind of looks like something happened:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1215051vikings4.html

In the Washington Times article, Smoot says, "Look at the criminal charges: Disturbing the peace. A $1,000 fine. Do you think that's what it would've been if anything had happened? . . . . No one touched a woman. There were no DUIs. We were driven home in limos. As soon as we were accused, it was like, 'They're football players. They must be guilty.' Yes, we drank, but we were all old enough to drink. There were women on the boat, but no one touched them. There was no sex party. We're smarter than that."

Okay Fred. Sounds great.

Mauer still rocks, but Redmond is clutch.

If you read other blogs on the internets, you might find people who don't like Joe Mauer.

Okay, so that link you just followed didn't talk about sports, but I am sure you are now caught up on women's fashion and the always popular "which one is more relaxing -- a pedicure or a manicure?" debate.

Just trust me, some of those people say batting average is over-rated and that Mauer is just a hyped-up version of Paul Lo Duca. Those people are wrong.

But, last night somebody came through with another game winning hit and he isn’t getting his due. Now he is.

Mike Redmond has been clutch this year for the home town team. He can’t hit for much power and he really can’t run – but he can rake. And, with Mauer locked in at catcher for the next ten years, we need some other role players around him. So what if Redmond looks like Dr. Cox from Scrubs – he’s a better DH than Jason Tyner, isn't he?

Nice win by the Twins last night. A sweep of the Braves is always a good thing. If they can sign Ty Wigginton or Adam Dunn sometime in the next three weeks, they are going to have a chance to win the American League. Believe it.

Is it in you?

Elijah Dukes is going to be a dad again. Baby number five (baby number 6?) is on the way and this time, the mother is a 17-year-old foster child living with a relative of Dukes. When the girl told Dukes she was pregnant, he got mad and threw a Gatorade bottle at her.

Dukes won’t be charged with a crime because even though the girl was 16-years-old at the time, age of consent in Florida is, in fact, 16 if the other person is 24 or younger. Dukes was born June 26, 1984 – so I suggest everyone in and around Florida keep a close eye on your daughters for another year or so.

He’s a pretty good guy.

We’ve talked about Dukes here and here - so at this point I don’t really know what else to say.

Her husband Seymour prefers wipes.

This story from the Star Tribune made my day. Apparently a woman with the last name Butts has been stealing toilet paper from county courthouse.

http://www.startribune.com/484/story/1243203.html

If I ran the Twins, getting Adam would be a Dunn deal.

The internets are bubbling with rumors about the Reds willingness/eagerness to deal first baseman Adam Dunn.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6911370

If the Twins were able to land a hitter like this, it would immediately give them a boost and help their chances of actually competing for a wild card spot. Sure, Dunn strikes out a lot, but he also hits massive home runs and is a threat to go deep every time up.

The Twins NEED another hitter to plug into the lineup. They are desperate for power. Now that underrated catcher Joe Mauer is back from injury and hitting second in the lineup, Dunn could be another outstanding RBI guy who can clear the bases.

Is anyone else tired of Jason Tyner hitting in the DH spot for this team? We don't need more piranhas -- we need poweranhas.

Go get him -- he is Dunn good.

Small market radio.

I am a radio junkie and sometimes the addiction pays off.

Some of you probably know there is big time road construction going on around the Lowry Hill Tunnel in Minneapolis and traffic has been, in a word, not very good. But, it’s also not as bad as the state had figured – so things are okay.

Anyway, while making the daily commute yesterday, I got to hear this nugget on the local radio station that may or may not serve as southern Minnesota’s leader in sports:

Announcer voice:
“The Minnesota Department of Transportation anticipates extreme delays on I-94 in Minneapolis this week as road crews begin work on the…on the…the big tunnel there in Minneapolis.”

No word on how construction is progressing where that big curve in the road happens in Little Canada or if things are progressing nicely on the road where the airport is on the passenger’s side of the car by the big mall up there.

Good times.

Can't wait for the Sopranos Movie

Spoiler Alert -- Tony didn't die.

As a fan of the show from Day 1 -- I didn't want to see Tony get whacked during the finale. Both of his families are intact. They are dysfunctional and crazy, but intact. This series has been phenomenal and this "life goes on" ending was a perfect way to take it. The Sopranos was unlike any other show on TV -- why would it end with a blockbuster final show where everyone either dies or goes into witness protection?

This is the way it needed to be. The show has been like this from the beginning. New characters pop up and they have a large role in the show, story-lines are dropped and brought back up without consideration for people who may not have seen Season 4, Episode 3. I love it that way.

We got rewarded for watching this thing from the start. Phil is dead. Harpo changed his name. A.J. blew up his SUV. Meadow is going into law, but her friend Hunter is going to be a doctor. Agent Harris is human and has lots and lots of human flaws. Paulie proves cats are evil and nobody listens to him. Tony and Uncle Junior finally talked -- Junior is out of it. Tony could be going to jail because Carlo flipped. Sil is probably dead but he was loyal to Tony and the family til the end.

The final scene was brilliant. Tony is paranoid, he's going to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life -- just like he has everyday leading up to the final scene.

There is more but I mean...what more do you want? Great ending. Great series. It's going to be a great movie.

Thursday Thoughts

Things I think about while wondering how that guy Bill Engvall got a TV show...

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I kind of wish I still lived in Vadnais Heights. A train derailed there today (nobody was hurt) but if I lived there, I could have been interviewed by the local TV news and I would have said "it sounded just like a tornado was coming."

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Only six more weeks until Antonie Winfield holds out of training camp.

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I am giving LeBron James a pretty decent chance in the NBA Finals. In fact...okay...Cavs in 6. You know you are going to watch some of this, don't lie. Come on -- the Cavs have LeBron AND a guy named Boobie -- it's a no lose situation.

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What happened to Michelle Wie anyway? She was once the fastest young rising female golfer in the country. Now she can't even break 85 on a regular basis. You choose where she is headed, because I can't decide. Does she go the way of Jennifer Capriati or does she go the way of A.J. Soprano?

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Hey London, 1988 called -- it wants its logo back: http://tinyurl.com/2b3ulf

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People are going to be talking about that Ducks championship for years to come.

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ESPN had the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft on TV today. If the Versus Network had done this, how many people on ESPN Radio would have made fun of the decision?

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Speaking of ESPN... they basically ruined any chance of Curt Schilling throwing a no-hitter today against the A's. They broke into the game during the bottom of the 9th inning. Schilling gets two ground balls and then gives up a line-drive single to the once-believed-to-be-dead Shannon Stewart. Just so predictable.

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Jason Giambi hurting his foot while rounding the bases after a home run has to be the funniest MLB story that hasn't really been reported on at all.

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If Barry Bonds hits #756 at Wrigley Field, do you think the fans throw the ball back?

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I guess we don't have to worry about Kevin Durant being on steroids, huh?

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Remember when Frank Thomas could hit a fastball? I miss those days.

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Just to clarify something -- Kobe Bryant wants to be traded, right?

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I wonder if Mike Vick would be interested in "cat sitting" for awhile? Nothing permanent, just a weekend or something if we are out of town.

Proof that there is too much violence on TV

I love the Sopranos, but I think it's too violent. Just like kids listening to rap records and then shooting people, or even making it rain in strip clubs, I think mob violence is up because the Sopranos is on TV and gangsters are learning new things from the program.

Here's proof:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19063397

You can still hold a clipboard with small hands.

Daunte is going to be traded again. Or he is going to get cut. Now that the Dolphins have Trent Green on the roster, it's just a matter of time before Daunte is let go. Where will he end up? My guess is he lands in Chicago or Oakland. But does it really matter? He's finished as a starting quarterback in the NFL. It's sad, but it's true.

Remember how good this guy was? He made three pro-bowls and almost won the MVP Award. Take a look at some of these quotes about Daunte from people who know the game. Well...most of them know the game, Denny Green not included:

"He has it all. I thought years ago that he's one of the best players in the NFL. I don't think he gets enough credit. The Vikings are in every game, regardless of the defense, because of Daunte Culpepper. Daunte Culpepper has driven his team to be better than it actually is."
-Phil Simms

"Daunte Culpepper is to the Minnesota Vikings what Brett Favre has been to the Green Bay Packers, what Peyton Manning has been to the Indianapolis Colts, what Tom Brady has been to the New England Patriots, or what Joe Montana was to the (San Francisco) 49ers. I can't think of any more of a supreme compliment than that."
-Joe Theismann

"He’s a quarterback’s quarterback, a true field general. He knows how to run a team."
-Dennis Green

"The perception might be that Moss was the team leader. But as a team, we would look at Daunte as the leader."
-Vikings defensive end Lance Johnstone

"He’s the best I’ve ever seen, and I played with Terry Bradshaw. I saw Dan Marino in high school."
-UCF head coach Mike Kruczek

"You know how you can tell the quarterback makes great strides? Look at how he spreads the ball to other people. Understanding where people are is more than half the battle, and Culpepper gets it."
-Sean Salisbury

"He has the best throwing motion that I’ve seen since maybe Dan Marino."
-Hall of Famer Joe Namath

"I consider Peyton Manning. He will continue to be a star in the league for many years. I think Daunte Culpepper, in time, will be a good player because he has so much talent, but that will be a learning process over many years."
-Hall of Famer Dan Marino (when asked a few years ago who of the young NFL quarterbacks he liked the best.)

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Okay, so Salisbury and Theisman don't know much either. But still...those other guys kind of know what they are talking about.

You can go here to read more about Daunte not wanting out of Miami and the fact that he is still serving as his own agent:

http://tinyurl.com/3ctcce

Let's take a moment and celebrate.

Do you like unintentional comedy? Do you miss the 1980's? Are you surprised that the two Corey's pictured above never really did much of anything after 1988? Do you miss Chaci from Happy Days? Crave more Paula Abdul slurring and stuttering like Joe Namath at a Jets game?

The wait is over -- it's going to be a fantastic reality TV season. I don't want to wish the summer away or anything but...wow...I can't wait until these new shows start.

Read more here:

http://tinyurl.com/2fjxxe

Well...so much for the "intrigue" of the NBA.

You have to be kidding me.

Now Billy Donovan doesn't want to coach the Magic and instead wants to go back to coach the Florida Gators. Orlando is going to let him go. Are the Gators really going to take him back?

Aren’t you supposed to make these kinds of decisions BEFORE you take a job? Is anyone ever going to take him seriously again?

Eddie Munster gets paid.

Okay, its an old joke and they don’t look that much alike, but still – you kind of see the resemblance, right? What do you want from me – it’s Friday.

Yep, Billy Donovan is leaving Florida for the NBA and nobody is all that surprised. He is leaving for the money, I guess that’s pretty clear, but who wouldn’t leave for a relatively decent deal that breaks down to 6 years/$36 million per year?

He could end up getting more than 10 years and $100 million if he makes it to the Eastern Conference Finals sometime in the next three years, which isn’t too far out of line considering the Magic made the playoffs this year. I mean, you have to think the Magic extend the contract at least four more years if the guy produces anything close to the Easter Conference Finals, right?

And, since we never talk about the NBA and we are now – how about LeBron scoring the final 25 points for the Cavs last night in their win over Detroit? If he ends up in the Finals against the Spurs, that series might be something worth watching.