Saturday Evening News And Views

The guy on the left is having a great week, the one on the right...not so much. Today may truly be the triple threat of birthdays (as my neighbor Ally Tucker put it)--50 Cent, Sylvester Stallone, and George W. Bush were all born today, July the 6th. One can assume that George W. is on his ranch in Texas having a quiet evening with Laura and the family. Or maybe he will check out the Rangers-Astros game in Arlington? Sylvester Stallone is chewing aluminum cans for dinner, then getting tanned up for his next role in what will feel like the seventeenth Expendables film. But Curtis James Jackson III, aka 50 Cent, is spending his 38th birthday defending himself (though his Tweets indicate 50 is anything but stressed) from alleged domestic abuse and vandalism against his girlfriend and the mother of his child, Daphne Joy. She's a Los Angeles actress from the Philippines who is known for being the principal mermaid in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," among other small TV and movie roles. "During an argument, Jackson allegedly began destroying the female's property," the city prosecutor's office said in a written statement. "Allegedly when the female locked herself in her bedroom, Jackson kicked open the bedroom door and kicked her, causing an injury."   Had enough? Thought so. On to the news and views. - Josh Smith who known at KSR as the former AAU teammate of Randolph Morris, has agreed to a four-year deal with the Detroit Pistons worth a reported $56-million. Smith will be joining the young Andre Drummond and up and coming Greg Monroe, along with Brandon Knight, in what could be a competitive Pistons squad. There is speculation Rondo may make a move to Detroit as well. My head is spinning from NBA free agency. More on Rondo tomorrow. - While the basketball world speculates on the future of Brad Stevens with the Celtics, Butler University has quickly turned around and found a new head coach to replace him--34-year old Brandon Miller. The former Butler point guard had returned to the Bulldogs in April to be an assistant under Stevens after having spent one year under John Groce at Illinois. Miller had sent his previous six years as an assistant on Thad Matta's staff at Ohio State. His cheeks aren't quite as rosy. - McDonald's All-American UK Hoops signee Linaee Harper has yet to play a game for Matthew Mitchell, yet she may have three gold medals by the time she arrives on campus. Harper has won gold playing for the U-17 and U-16 teams and this summer with the U-19 team she's hoping to make it a perfect three for three. - Urban Meyer has broken his silence on the Aaron Hernandez saga. In a message to the Columbus-Dispatch, claiming he and his staff worked very hard to mentor Hernandez and that blaming any of the charges upon them is irresponsible. - Dante Exum, as Ally discussed below, is a name that we will hear more and more in the recruiting-sphere in the coming weeks. The 6' 5" Australian guard is considering Indiana, Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan, LSU, SMU, and Tulsa according to Adam Zagoria. His reason for considering these schools being they're currently recruiting him the "hardest." Although he's a relatively new name to us, watch for Exum, this could be a big get, especially if a scholarship opens up with a Wiltjer transfer. - Drew Barker participated in the Elite 11 camp in Oregon and after struggling early on, earned praise from CBS Sports' Bruce Feldman for taking a huge leap forward from week's beginning to end, along with his leadership, and decisiveness on big throws. Barker also tweeted out his mixtape from the camp. - Miami is recruiting Braxton Berrios now. But Stoops!! - In non-Harrison twin news, American twins Bob and Mike Bryan took home the Wimbledon Doubles Title, their 15th Grand Slam event. If they win at the U.S. Open they will hold all four Slams in a calendar year. - Marion Bartoli beat Sabine Lisicki to win her first at Wimbledon in dominant fashion 6-1, 6-4. Let's hope that Djokovic and Murray provide more theater on the grass tomorrow. I'm betting that they will. The hopes of a nation rest on Andy's narrow shoulders. - Last week, in the northeastern Brazilian region Maranhão, an amateur soccer match ended after referee, Otávio Jordão da Silva, was brutally murdered by fans. His head was cut off and placed on a spike. There are more gruesome details that I will refrain from describing here. This act against the referee was retaliation for da Silva's stabbing to death of a player, Josenir dos Santos Abreu. He argued a call and threw a punch at da Silva, who proceeded to take out a knife and stab the player who died en route to the hospital. Back to NBA free agency news. In case you needed to be reminded. Have a safe and happy remainder of your holiday weekend.