To know list: 7 tomato cans that could beat Mike Tyson silly

Sporting News, The, June 24, 2005

[1] THE YANKEES' NEXT MANAGER

Joe must go! Well, eventually

One of these days, the Yankees will replace Joe Torre as manager. It might not be soon; Torte is due $6.1 million this season, $6.1 million next season and $7 million in 2007. But once owner George Steinbrenner decides to act, the Boss will not lack for possibilities.

Lou Piniella

Odds 3:1

Piniella's contract with the Devil Rays expires after the '06 season, when Torre will have one year remaining on his deal. Piniella, who played for Steinbrenner's Yankees from 1974 to '84 and managed them from 1986 until he was fired in '88. would be a popular choice in New York.

Joe Girardi

Odds 5:1

Currently in his first season as Torre's bench coach, Girardi probably isn't ready for the job; his final season as a player was 2003. But Girardi, 40, is widely respected, and few doubt he will make an outstanding manager.

Bobby Valentine

Odds 10:1

Steinbrenner loves attracting big names and loves tweaking the Mets; by hiring Valentine, a former Mets manager, he could accomplish both. Valentine is managing the Chiba Lotte Lions in Japan, but he has an out clause in his contract that allows him to accept a major league managing job.

Buck Showalter

Odds 50:1

The Rangers have Showalter locked up through 2009. Their former shortstop Alex Rodriguez could extend his contract with the Yankees through 2010. A reunion is such a long shot, the two need not worry about having to coexist again.

Bucky Dent

Odds 75:1

Dent, manager of the Yankees' Class AAA club, flopped in an 89-game stint as Steinbrenner's manager in 1989-90. Steinbrenner sided with Dent in a power struggle with a minor league executive in 2003, but that's as far as his support likely will go.--Ken Rosenthal

[2] BROWN DOWN

A tough break for TSN's player of the year

Dee Brown's relationship with Deron Williams has taken many forms: friend, roommate, teammate. Now, logic dictates it take another direction. Brown should become Williams' successor as Illinois' point guard.

After playing 10 minutes at the NBA predraft camp in Chicago, Brown broke his right foot. The SPORTING NEWS' college player of the year, Brown hoped a strong week at the camp would propel him into the draft's first round. He wasn't immediately forthcoming on whether the injury would cause him to return to college for another year, but his best choice is obvious.

"I'm happy he didn't sign with an agent. It gives him the opportunity to go back," Williams says. "I think he'll do great. People say they want to see him run the point. I know he can. He's just got to show the rest of the world." --Mike DeCourcy

[3] WIMBLEDON (JUNE 20-JULY 3)

Keep your eyes on ...

Andre Agassi. Is this his last Wimbledon? Will the back injury that contributed to his first-round loss at the French Open continue to dog him, or will he be healthy enough to play at his best? In top form, Agassi would be a contender.

The women. Maria Sharapova is ready for the cameras and her title defense. The rest of the Russian women won't be far behind. Then there are Serena and Venus, who, if healthy, are on the list of favorites along with Justine Henin-Hardenne, Kim Clijsters and Lindsay Davenport. No easy pick, but plenty of great matches are expected.

Rafael Nadal. The French Open champion and the hottest thing on the tour isn't a grass guy, but it will be fun to see how far he can advance--though it's hard to imagine him beating favorite and defending champion Roger Federer again.--Kara Yorio

[4] AUCTION ACTION

Point, click, bid and cheer

Want to be the primary sponsor on a Nextel Cup team? Better keep your eyes and ears open because you never know where an opportunity might present itself. The Kirk Shelmerdine Racing No. 27 Ford was up for auction last week on eBay, offering a five-race sponsorship starting with the Dodge/Save Mart 350 in Sonoma, Calif., on June 26. Though Shelmerdine led the legendary Dale Earnhardt to four of his Winston Cup championships and became the youngest crew chief to win a title, his prowess behind the wheel isn't nearly as stout. In nine attempts this season, the No. 27 has not made a race. Something tells us the high bid of $5,798.99 isn't going to help.--Lee Spencer

[5] YOU HEARD IT HERE

'I need him. I'm not thinking about trading him.'

--A's G.M. Billy Beane, on struggling star Barry Zito (page 37)

[6] THIS AND THAT

Just call him the next Ben Hogan

Golf's biggest names are in Pinehurst this week for the U.S. Open, with one noteworthy exception. Ben Hogan didn't qualify.

This Ben Hogan is no relation to that Ben Hogan. That Ben Hogan, a golfing legend, was 84 when he died in 1997; this Ben Hogan is 24. That Ben Hogan lost his bid 50 years ago to win his fifth U.S. Open in a playoff with Jack Fleck at the Olympic Club. This Ben Hogan, a fledgling tour pro trying to reach his first U.S. Open, went 81-78-159 last Monday in Tarzana, Calif., missing the qualifying cut.

Thus, he may have been left to make his own tee time this week in his hometown of Phoenix ... under an alias because, he tells the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, when he calls a pro shop the folks who answer tend to, well, hang up on him.