From the 'Not Surprising, But Funny' file, new Detroit Lions running back Rudi Johnson (seen here) is claiming that now former Lions running back Tatum Bell stole his bags when they crossed over earlier this week. Bell was released almost immediately following Johnson's signing, following the latter's discharge from the Bengals. more...

i'm sure this is a joke, but teammate Sean Casey "interviewed" David Ortiz recently on his Top 5 favorite movies of all time. Let's just say his selections were...different?



If you have some extra time, check out some of the other clips on Farnsworth33's YouTube feed which is the handle for WEEI.com writer/personality Rob Bradford. more...

Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar in November in a UFC octagon...enough said!

Holy. S**t. Randy Couture has agreed to return to the UFC and will defend his Heavyweight belt against Brock Lesnar this November in Las Vegas.

Read all about it at fellow NasonMedia site: Ropes, Ring and Cage.

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com. more...

I love reading stories like this.

Every major star has a handler of sorts, a person that is an influence, a guide, a friend and someone that assists in the management of the day-to-day trappings of celebrity. This article introduces us to Will McDonough, a former Patriots intern that is now the VP of marketing of a major hedge fund. Oh yeah, he is also an assistant to Tom Brady...except no one is sure what he does. He doesn't even have an official title. more...

Regardless what you think of the guy, you have to be happy for John Cena today. The former WWE Champion and top draw is now expected to miss up to 2-4 months instead of 12-14 months after successful surgery in Pittsburgh, PA, today.

On Monday, it was announced that Cena would be out indefinitely as he was suffering neck pain due to his match against Batista at SummerSlam (not sure if that's true or not). There was major concern Cena would need the dreaded fusion surgery that Edge, Steve Austin and Chris Benoit had, but WWE Medical Program head Dr. Joseph Maroon simply removed a fragment from Cena's spinal cord that was blocking a nerve in a 90-minute operation. In fact, Cena was walking around and was backstage at Tuesday night's Smackdown tapings in Pittsburgh just hours post-surgery, according to WWE.com.

You can see pictures of the surgery and additional details at WWE.com. Congratulations to Cena and his family. Again, no matter what you think of him, he's an important figure to the business now and for the next few years.

With the news that Kevin Duckworth has passed away at the young age of 44, I happened to think of when his name found its way into the Mitchell Report. There was a cashed check that Duckworth made out to former New York Mets clubhouse guy Kirk Radomski, but Duckworth himself was never implicated...probably because he was a former NBA player and had nothing to do with baseball. From the stories coming out today, Duckworth was very involved with the Blazers as an ambassador type so he wasn't exactly a recluse like other former athletes. more...

Amidst all the Portland talk, I missed that WEEI finalized deals to air in Bangor, ME, on WABI (910 AM) and WWBX (97.1 FM) and Keene, NH, on 93.5 FM. Both deals will start in early-September as well.

While Keene marks WEEI's first official foray into New Hampshire, their eventual goal is 100% coverage in the state. Currently, there is WGAM sports talk in Manchester/Nashua and there was talk of WEEI having a stronger presence in that region a year ago. For Bangor sports talk station WZON (on which I appear occasionally), they too will have their work cut out fending off the growing WEEI empire. more...

I'm not a Raiders fan, but I love this ad with rookie running back Darren McFadden. It's a Nike/Dick's Sporting Goods spot for some new all-weather cleats and features a unique terrain at the end. The look on the kid's face is priceless.




Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com. more...

The rumors and stories about Boston sports radio powerhouse WEEI moving into other markets has been rumbling since last October. At the time, Nassau Broadcasting had intended to have 'the Entercom Sports Radio Leader' begin simulcasting on 11 new New England stations. One of those at the top of the list was Portland, ME, but the January 1st switchover never happened and the deal was seemingly dead...until today. more...

The Undertaker returned to the ring in a fiery manner and all World Champions retained their belts at SummerSlam Sunday night from the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.

In the main event, the Undertaker defeated long-time rival Edge in a Hell in a Cell Match that saw Edge sent through the ring, while HHH, CM Punk and Mark Henry all defended their respective World titles with mixed results. For all of the results and details from one of WWE's Big Four PPVs, click on and read this special Ropes, Ring and Cage report!

The UFC officially announced Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote for the Middleweight Title, set for October 25th at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. Diego Sanchez vs. Thiago Alves will be on the undercard. Tickets for UFC 90 go on sale for Fight Club members this Saturday.

In addition, Five Ounces of Pain is reporting the following as rumored matches:

* Tyson Griffin vs. Sean Sherk @ 155lbs

* Fabricio Werdum vs. Junior dos Santos @265lbs

* Thales Leites vs. Goran Reljic @ 185lbs

* Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Horwich @ 185lbs

* Hermes Franca vs. Gleison Tibau @ 155lbs

* Josh Burkman vs. Pete Sell @ 170lbs

* Spencer Fisher vs. Melvin Guillard @ 155lbs

-Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Weekly reported earlier this week that Cheick Kongo (12-4-1) is rumored as the next opponent for Brock Lesnar.

The latest wrap-up from Red Sox Nation with news of Jason Varitek's divorce, Kelly Clarkson's visit to Fenway and the best double-play combo ever: Heidi Watney and Erin Andrews.

If what SI.com writer Jon Heyman says is true, Manny might be getting an old friend to visit with in L.A.

News on Randy Orton re-breaking his collarbone and when he'll be back in competition.