FRIDAY AFTERNOON TIDBITS

• This may be naivete talking -- but why doesn't Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi block the Red Sox from acquiring catcher Javy Lopez, as has been rumoured? Every team that's lower than Boston in the standings has a shot at claiming Lopez on waivers before he can be traded. If the Jays don't block it, it could be because Ricciardi's under a corporate edict not to add any more salary.
• The Toronto Star's Chris Zelkovich on Nick Kypreos remaining at Rogers Sportsnet: "Kypreos used the departure of John Davidson from MSG Network to squeeze a better deal out of Sportsnet, which now sees the former enforcer as one of its prize possessions. Did anyone ever imagine the day "Kypreos" and "prize possession" would be in the same sentence?"
• The expanded platform for Kypreos apparently comes at the expense of basketball fans -- as Zelkovich notes, Sportsnet is going from 35 regional Raptors games to just 10 for '06-07, since MLSE is putting 25 on the Raptors TV. Another Raptors note: Scott Carefoot is really going out on a limb and predicting Sam Mitchell will be out as coach after next season, since he's a poor fit with the team's new look: "Anyone want to place wagers on how long it takes him to go all Jules Winnifield on one of the new players? 'English, motherf***er! Do you speak it?' "
• The Ottawa Sun's Rob Brodie (full disclosure: I work there) had a good column the other day about the lack of support our Olympic-sport athletes get. It's bloody scandalous how these bureaucrats just have their heads in the sand about the investment -- both in cash and infrastructure -- that it takes to compete. Subject to what appeared here about the convicted drug trafficker coaching youth swimming, it never ceases to amaze how the politicians -- Liberal or Tory -- just don't get it. Or how people whine about how it would make their taxes go up. Amateur sports is a drop in the bucket compared to what we dole out in any numbers area, including corporate welfare.
• Have never watched The View, but my friend Greg has the highlights of Elizabeth Hasselbeck's little foray into fascism over reproductive rights the other day. Just check out the body language on the woman to Hasselbeck's right (and on Lisa Loeb in the second clip).
• It's a little late for Chris Doering: the Caucasian Wide Receivers of America. Hey, come to Canada: you can play slotback.