Saturday, Jul. 05, 2008

James Burns: Love in ruins, the blob and skinny dipping

A little bit of this and that as you sip on your Saturday morning brew...

THIS is starting to smack of The Barry Bonds Soap Opera.

Every time Alex Rodriguez's professional life moves one step closer to Cooperstown, his personal life drums up another headline-grabbing roadblock.

Recent reports claim that the Yankee slugger and his wife, Cynthia, have parted ways months shy of their sixth wedding anniversary.

While A-Rod has remained tight-lipped about his marital problems, I can think of at least four reasons why Mrs. A-Rod no longer wants his name:

She found a gold thong in his travel bag and didn't buy the "It's not mine, it's Jason Giambi's" excuse.

She's tired of watching him make it to second and third base, while she's sitting in the stands or at home.

She caught him humming the melody to Madonna's "Like a virgin" during a midnight's embrace.

And finally, she realizes that after two kids, she just can't stimulate him the way Hank Steinbrenner can.

CATALOG this under "Saw it coming."

Two Packers sources -- one unidentified and cornerback Al Harris -- report that Brett Favre still has the "itch" to play.

Can't say that I'm surprised.

Meanwhile, across the NFC's north division, the still-inept Lions are wondering why Barry Sanders never got that itch.

LATEST black eye for the Beijing Games and Chinese officials: Miles upon miles of green sludge settling in the port of Qingdao, the site of the Olympic sailing competition.

Tens of thousands have been working around the clock to free the waters of "the blob."

Officials have identified the green blanket as an exotic strain of algae -- not SuperSonic jerseys tossed into the Pacific Ocean by disgruntled Seattle fans.

KENTUCKY basketball just hasn't been the same without Rick Pitino.

The University of Kentucky Basketball Museum recently announced that it'll be closing its doors, citing falling attendance and financial problems as its downfall.

Simply stated, people have shown little interest in the place since it opened in 1999.

Pitino, who left after the 1997 season only to take a job with rival Louisville later in his career, has to be smiling.

AND MY final thought: The Speedo LZR Racer, the wrestling-esque suit involved in all those record-setting swims we've seen at the Olympic trials, is drawing the ire of some of swimming's international coaches.

Technological doping, they argue.

If they don't like the suits, we could shock the world with another American innovation: skinny dipping.

I'm just saying.

James Burns is a Sun-Star sports reporter. He can be reached at 385-2417 or via e-mail at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.