Sunday Sports Stories

Relief pitcher Eric Gagne provided Dodger fans with many wonderful memories during his stint with the Dodgers. With a record-setting streak of saves, his entrance from the bullpen meant "Game Over!"

Unfortunately, Gagne has been beset by injuries. He is now playing in Boston, and with a 15.00 ERA, things aren't going so well. Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times has the story (subject link).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been unable to reach an agreement with his stepmother, Teresa, to take the No. 8 with him when he leaves Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the year. I would think DEI and Teresa are going to suffer some loss of goodwill from fans, which they'll need as they rebuild DEI without Jr., whom most consider the most popular driver in NASCAR.

USA TODAY explains why race teams control car numbers, rather than drivers. Mark Martin explains, "In this business, the standard has always been that the number stays with the owner and the driver has his superstardom to carry wherever he may."

Meanwhile, USC is being picked by many as the team to beat in the coming football season. USC is one of only two schools to start and finish as No. 1 in the AP poll, and they'll have the chance to attempt repeating that feat this year.

Fight on!