Digest

The fan page

By TIMES WIRES
Published October 28, 2006

Whatever happened with ...

For days and weeks, certain sports stories dominated the headlines. Then, quietly, the stories faded and we never did find out what happened. Here are two updates.

What's going on with Barbaro?

It has been five months since the Kentucky Derby winner broke down at the Preakness and tugged at the hearts of people who don't even follow horse racing. For days, we wondered whether he would live or die. Then we just forgot about him.

He's now at the University of Pennsylvania. His right hind leg remains in a fiberglass cast. Barbaro's appetite is good and he shows improvement all the time, but he still has a long struggle ahead.

"The hoof is growing slowly and not uniformly, so it has a long way to go before it is acceptably strong and functional," Dr. Dean W. Richardson told Horsetalk. "The foot will require meticulous care for a long time, and setbacks here and there are probable."

What's the story with Floyd Landis?

The Pennsylvania kid from a Mennonite family came out of nowhere to win the 2006 Tour de France. But then he tested positive for high levels of testosterone and was dropped by his racing team, and his Tour de France title was put on hold. He is going through the appeals process, which might not be decided until early next year. If he loses, he could be suspended for two years. Last week, Landis made his appeal public. (You can find it at floydlandis.com). On Friday, Tour de France chief Patrice Clerc said runnerup Oscar Pereiro of Spain will be named the winner if Landis loses his appeals.

Meanwhile, Landis had hip surgery on Sept. 27 and hopes to compete in 2007 - if he's eligible.

Reversing field

A few days after telling the New York Post he might not return to Monday Night Football next season, Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser might have changed his mind. He tells the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette he's having fun and "can certainly see myself doing it again next year."

Meanwhile, the New York Daily News is saying Giants running back Tiki Barber could join MNF if he retires.

"We fully expect Tony to return next season and are very happy with our booth," Chris LaPalca, senior VP of communications for ESPN, told the Daily News. "But any network involved with the NFL would of course be interested in talking with Tiki should he retire."

Thought of the day

Hey, how about Barry Bonds in a Rays uniform? The San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants are going to make Bonds an offer so low he'll shop around, but he likely won't find any takers. Think the Rays should make an offer just for the heck of it? (More Bonds, 5C)

On the road again

Representatives from the Outback Bowl hit the road again today, attending six games: Northwestern at Michigan, Illinois at Wisconsin, Penn State at Purdue, Minnesota at Ohio State, Tennessee at South Carolina and Georgia against Florida in Jacksonville.

Our two cents

Time to shorten the baseball season. The World Series nearly carries over into November. The weather is awful. It's the middle of Autumn, for crying out loud. Bring back Sunday and holiday doubleheaders, and get the season over by mid October.

[Last modified October 28, 2006, 02:12:41]