T.D.

At least since the Indurain years. Disclosure: I'm a big fan of Indurain, but he won in the same style (slaughter 'em in the ITT and keep pace in the mountains), and it got boring after a while. Surprised not to see more bold mountain attacks, but the USPS->Sky team strategy of setting such a killing pace that the "pure climbers" have no energy left to attack seems to have taken over. Granted, that takes a super-strong team (Sky) and perhaps heavy medico-chemical assistance (USPS )...

Congratulations to Wiggins and Sky, which was the dominant team. Froome had an untimely puncture late in Stage 1 (!) and lost 1:25, without which the Tour could have gotten really interesting. I'd like to see him get a chance as leader. Too bad about the doping controversies (Di Gregorio and Schleck), but I guess that's part of the sport...

PM sent on Duke Pearson Wahoo! $12 Blue Note

In today's "man bites dog" story, Dolan has managed to make an ass out of himself for the umpteenth time. He felt "betrayed" and "deceived" by Lin's signing with Houston!

:party:

No! I'd never consider purchase. Would like to read a review, though...

I agree in principle, but have read in several articles that the death penalty can only apply to a program that is already on probation for a major offense (you can google "Penn state death penalty" for additional coverage...). More likely would be TV or postseason bowl bans. It'll be interesting to see what happens...cynics like me expect that money will hold sway and penalties will be relatively minor. [Added] The US Dept. of Education potentially could levy the financial equivalent of a "death penalty".

PM sent on 20 Turn Out the Stars: Final Village Vanguard Recordings by Bill Evans

Well said, Larry. Too complex an issue for me to comment on at the moment.

Yeah, Froome (born in Nairobi!) looks incredibly strong. The journalists (and others, e.g. Bjarne Riis) will now go crazy trying to create controversy à la Hinault-LeMond '85-86. Might be something to it, going from last year's Vuelta.

Interesting article re. LaVar Arrington. Recall that Arrington was a big defender of Sandusky and Penn St. when the scandal initially (2011-12 vintage, that is ) broke.

This just in: Nike taking Paterno's name off child care center

Are you sure he isn't a bot? * *Back in the days of Usenet newsgroups (does anyone still use them?), highly tendentious and predictable posters were often suspected to be bots...

Pheeroan akLaff Elmo Hope

Federer-Murray in mens final. No real pressure on Andy to win this one... In this clip, Murray hits a striking winner vs. Tsonga...

Another crash-fest today: Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) made it through the crash unscathed and retained his overall lead. Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp), Fränk Schleck (RadioShack), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Robert Gesink (Rabobank) and Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) each lost between two and 15 minutes after being caught in the crash. Mountains start tomorrow, looking more and more like an Evans-Wiggins duel. I give the nod to Evans - despite Wiggins's great form of late, I'm just not comfortable rating him as the favorite.

:party:

Probably doesn't qualify as "bargain", but Decca is releasing some Solti opera mega-boxes: Wagner Mozart R. Strauss Verdi Waiting for wider release and price drops...

Wadada Leo Smith, Ten Freedom Summers

Let's stir the pot: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/report-hincapie-leipheimer-vande-velde-zabriskie-vaughters-give-evidence-against-armstrong Four former teammates of Lance Armstrong will receive six month bans after they confessed to doping and testified against the seven-time Tour de France winner, according to De Telegraaf.

I'm not going to play amateur lawyer (though I regard PSU's conduct throughout as reprehensible), but I do give the University considerable credit for commissioning the "Freeh investigation"*. *even though it may just have been to cover the U's collective arse...

Surely he'll request some kind of "protective custody" or whatever the term is. But guards could still turn blind eyes, etc. (one recalls Jeffrey Dahmer's demise, though he apparently refused PC).

Cecil Taylor, The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note Wadada Leo Smith, Ten Freedom Summers

I guess you never know. You can always put in an order. I think this one is more likely to be fulfilled: Complete Sampson Francois (EMI) I briefly considered this yesterday but decided 30+ CDs was too much even for me, and I went for this slimmed down 3 CD box instead: Sampson Trilogie The Yves Nat box, which I had almost forgotten about, just shipped! I'm shocked.

(Semi-troll) This just in: Armstrong reportedly made $465,000 payment to [doping-meister Dr. Michele] Ferrari in 2006