Obligatory Sports Babe

Today, for no particular reason—well, besides the obvious—we’ll go with WAG Federica Ridolfi, who is apparently engaged to Livorno’s Giuliano Giannichedda. I dunno, works for me.

Ocho Cinco

“I have my own application coming out where people will be able to interact and follow me,” said Bengals receiver Chad Ocho Cinco to a Houston radio station of his plans for Twitter. “You know more than through just the keyboard and reading my messages - you’ll actually be able to follow me and when the season starts, it’s going to get even worse. I’m going to really make it fun. I’m using Twitter during games, during halftime, after the games. I’m going to be taking it to the next level.”

The Diplomacy of Ovechkin

"As a resident of Washington, D.C.,” said President Barack Obama to students at Moscow’s New Economic School, according to the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog. “I continue to benefit from the contributions of Russians -- specifically, from Alexander Ovechkin. We are very pleased to have him in Washington, D.C." Of course, he’s never actually been to a Caps game, but who’s to nitpick?

Alexei Kovalev: Team Builder

“Each player and each person and team acts for himself, what he wants in life. I can’t answer questions for somebody else, but if I have a chance, I’ll speak to him [about staying],” said the newest Ottawa Senator, Alexei Kovalev, of disgruntled forward Dany Heatley, according to the Ottawa Sun. Yeah, that should work.

The Last Of the Nordiques

“A quick Luke Richardson story,” wrote Steve Simmons in the Toronto Sun back in 2006. “Floyd Smith, the Leafs chief scout at the time, didn't want to draft Richardson in 1987. John Brophy, the Leafs coach, did. Brophy won the argument, fighting for a tough defenceman. The player Smith wanted: Joe Sakic.” (But don’t be too upset, Leafs fans, it’s not like they wouldn’t have just traded him and a first round pick for some aging once-useful Ontario-born plug.)

Here’s a list that RDS put together a year or two ago of what they felt were Sakic’s ten best goals.