Recommended

A few recommended articles to check out (if you haven't done so already):

• Yankees fans beware... but Red Sox, Angels, Mets, Dodgers and Cubs fans, don't show that grin too much. Your financial comeuppances are near.
  
  
• Continuing with the business side of sports, here's BusinessWeek's annual 100 Most Influential People in the Business of Sports.
  
  
• With the NHL season about to begin this weekend in Europe (Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh plays Ottawa in Stockholm, Sweden while the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning tango in Prague), they hope to build off of the creeping marketing momentum of the past three post-lockout seasons.
  
  
• A slight diatribe before the next referenced article: Something that has always stuck out to me in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was the immediate response from athletes. Whether it was the Manning brothers or Kevin Garnett or the charity game organized by former NBA guard and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, I found myself marveled by their sense of urgency and their understanding of their stature (fair or not) as public beacons for entertainment and social causes. Yet, I was simultaneously screaming at the television about the "Johnny-come-lately" actions of the many levels of government and (dare I say) other entertainers who essentially sat by and waited to be told what to do. However, the continued efforts of one former athlete should be lauded and exemplify how someone used his former standing to try to make a dent in the mess in New Orleans. Respect due to the so-called bust, Jonathan Bender.
  Because while folks are talking about change these days, the basketball player who was forced to give up his physical gifts changed his own life by giving to others.
  
  
• Something that I wanted to expound an argument on earlier this week is still on the radar, but at least for the moment, ask yourself this question: is this the best sports year ever?
  Usually, I hate these best-ever questions, mostly because of how VH1 and others have driven that phrase to the ground. However, it's an intriguing thought.