CONDOLENCES FOR GRADY'S LADIES; S.I. SNUBS STANLEY

I am an Atomic Neo-Nuclear Android. But you may call me "ANNA."

• Condolences to the family and friends of Michelle Mielecki, 21, a founder of Grady's Ladies (cult female followers of Indians centre-fielder Grady Sizemore), who was shot and killed by her boyfriend in an apparent murder-suicide last weekend.
  
  I'll say the same thing I say whenever some jealous boyfriend/estranged husband type decides, Oh, I just can't live without her: Just kill yourself, dickwad. People are going to miss her; a lot fewer people will miss your insecure dumb ass. (Via Deadspin.)
  
  Please send Grady's Ladies a message of sympathy at admin@gradysladies.com. It will be small consolation, I'm sure, but every little bit helps. So would the Indians honouring Ms. Mielecki with a minute of silence at their next home game. You might say, well, she was a only a fan, but it would send a message about violence against women. Besides, sports teams belong as much to their fans as the owners, management and players.
  
  This is hard to articulate right now, but it seems like a lot bigger story than an ordinary jealous-boyfriend case. The Internet, the growth of televised sports, the celebrity culture ... all that has created a perfect storm for fans to follow athletes, an athlete, any athlete. So you get sites like Grady's Ladies and the Sizemore Girls. Until a few days ago it seemed like nothing but harmless, kitschy fun, almost endearing in its total lack of irony.
• So what does this say? I'm looking at Sports Illustrated's home page here, about five hours before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, and there's no sign that the NHL championship series is about to begin. There's a page lead about the major-league baseball draft, live updates from Michelle Wie's quest to qualify for the men's U.S. Open (a huge story, admittedly), columns about the NBA and a middle-distance runner. The list of top stories include a former National League umpire's stroke, Nadia Comaneci having a baby, and NCAA softball. Yes, you can be a hard-core hockey fan whether or not the MSM pays the sport any mind, but the NHL ought to be a little concerned.
  
  ESPN.com, by the way, has the final as its lead story, but as Chris Zelkovich noted in today's Toronto Star, Sunday's broadcast of The Sports Reporters -- a show hosted by Canadian-born ex-college hockey player John Saunders -- "made not one mention of hockey." Ouch.
• Speaking of ESPN, Bonds on Bonds has been cancelled due to creative differences: As in, there wasn't any.
• It's ESPN insider content (hence no link), but the Adam Kennedy-to-the-Blue Jays rumours aren't going away.
• What's PRV? King Kaufman has created a stat that weighs National League pitchers' offensive contributions. (The NL is loath to talk about pitchers' hitting since -- much like the NHL and banning fighting -- no one wants to admit adding the designated hitter would improve their game.) It's called Pitcher Run Value --hence PRV or "perv."
• (*UPDATED June 6, 10:20 p.m.*) So, Jays-Orioles for the next three days. Oops, I mean four. So at least the Jays won't win the first two and lose the series finale again. Actually, this might be a sweep waiting to happen -- for Baltimore. Troy Glaus is banged up, and none of the first three pitching matchups inspire confidence: Ted Lilly-Daniel Cabrera tonight; Ty Taubenheim against Canada's own Erik Bédard on Tuesday. On Wednesday, it's Casey Janssen against Anna Benson's husband, who is 2-0 against the Jays this season. Thursday: Roy Halladay against the O's other Canuck starter, Adam Loewen. Well, there's some hoop.
  
  By the way, why doesn't Anna Benson's husband go by his full name of Kristin? Just wonderin'.

That's all for now. Apologies for doing anything that might have given Anna Benson her 16th minute of fame, but you can't pass up a chance to make a Family Guy reference. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca. See you later tonight, after the hockey game.