Sporting News, The: To know list: 6 tasty treats, including a big ol' Roethlisberger

1 YOU HEARD IT HERE

Barry Bonds speaks out last week on The James Brown Show on Sporting News Radio

"I think you're going to be portrayed however the public wants to portray you. And, basically, the media feeds the public whatever is in their mind."

"It's hard walking. I'd rather swing the bat and ground out and go back to the dugout and rest, to be honest with you."

"When I get to that ballpark, I don't know what happens to me. Maybe I need to see a psychiatrist or something. I am working on it. I say hi to everybody new a little bit instead of walking straight to the locker room."

"There's times I've played catch with people in the stands between innings ... and then I go O-for-4 and I'm mad at myself because I didn't focus in or I didn't try or I was goofing around."

"Sometimes I get teary-eyed when an African-American athlete.., does something in a special way, and it gets punched down and it gets diminished and it gets scrutinized. That makes my heart cry"

"To those I've disappointed, I apologize. It's not intentional; I didn't go out of my way to harm anyone or hurt anyone's feelings.... I'm human and just trying to do the best I can as a human being, as a father and as a man."

2 DAN POMPEI'S HALF-SEASON AWARDS

It's a daunting job, but Culpepper sure can do it

MVP: Daunte Culpepper, Vikings. The Giants game was his mulligan. His combination of completion percentage (70.7) and yards per attempt (8.42) is absolutely incredible. And what really underscored his value was his ability to win and score points when Randy Moss was hurt.

Defensive player of the haft-year: Terrell Suggs, Ravens. No player has been truly dominant defensively this season, but Suggs has been the best of a group that includes Jaguars tackle Marcus Stroud, Jets end John Abraham, Patriots end Richard Seymour and Lions tackle Shaun Rogers.

Rookie of the haft-year: Ben Roethlisharger, Steelers. Receivers Mark Clayton of the Bucs and Roy Williams of the Lions have been impressive, but rookies simply don't do what Roethlisberger has done.

Coach of the half-year: Bill Belichick, Pablots. No need to look any further. It's a slam dunk.

Executive of the half-year: Tom Heckert, Eagles. The Eagles took big risks with their roster, and they are paying off beautifully. Others who should be considered: New England's Scott Pioli and Atlanta's Rich McKay.

(3) THREE POINT MAKERS

Rapid-fire shots Get loose for the 2004-05 season preview (page 24)
with TSN's college hoops experts:

                                                  Mike Decourcy

TSN's top 10 team that looks shakiest to me       Illinois
is ...
We should have ranked ...                         Boston College
The coach whose seat will get the hottest         Pete Gillen, Virginia
is ...
Arizona's Hassan Adams or Oklahoma State's        Adams
Joey Graham?
Kansas' Wayne Simien or Mississippi State's       Roberts
Lawrence Roberts?
The best mid-major (other than Gonzaga) is ...    Southern Illinois
A player who averaged less than 10 points last    Shavlik
season but is ready to blossom is ...             Randolph,
                                                  Duke

                                                  Benson Taylor

TSH's top 10 team that looks shakiest to me       Duke
is ...
We should have ranked ...                         Wisconsin
The coach whose seat will get the hottest         Mike Davis, Indiana
is ...
Arizona's Hassan Adams or Oklahoma State's        Adams
Joey Graham?
Kansas' Wayne Simien or Mississippi State's       Simien
Lawrence Roberts?
The best mid-major (other than Gonzaga) is ...    Vermont
A player who averaged less than 10 points last    Matt
season but is ready to blossom is ...             Haryasz,
                                                  Stanford

                                                  Kyle Veltrop

TSH's top 10 team that looks shakiest to me       Mississippi State
is ...
We should have ranked ...                         Oklahoma
The coach whose seat will get the hottest         Dan Monson, Minnesota
is ...
Arizona's Hassan Adams or Oklahoma State's        Graham
Joey Graham?
Kansas' Wayne Simien or Mississippi State's       Roberts
Lawrence Roberts?
The best mid-major (other than Gonzaga) is ...    Southern Illinois
A player who averaged less than 10 points last    Mustafa
season but is ready to blossom is ...             Shakur,
                                                  Arizona

4 ALL IN THE FAMILY

Simms like were heard this name before

Shhh. It's a secret. At least, Phil Simms would like it to be. But look out, Mannings, there might be another three-quarterback family in the NFL.

Matt Simms, 16, a high school sophomore, is in his first season as the starting quarterback at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J. Simms has passed for nine touchdowns, and his team is 6-1. Despite father Phil's efforts to keep his son out of the spotlight, the word is out that there's a third Simms coming.

Matt's brother, Chris, became the top high school player in New Jersey, went on to play at Texas and was the Buccaneers' starter for a game this season before getting injured.

Matt is "definitely an exceptional player with unlimited potential," says Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell. "He's got the arm. He's very poised, mature.

"I think of it just like the Mannings. He's had every advantage in the world. Similar to Eli Manning, he can tap his father's knowledge, his brother's knowledge:'

Simms needs to add bulk to a thin frame, but Farrell estimates his eventual size will be 6-4, 225. It's too early to make too much of the kid, of course, but the signs point to success.--Kara Yorio

5 GOING ... GOING ...

Got a spare $50K, Slugger?

Ever wanted a chance to buy some really neat historical baseball items, such as a Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth bat or a Satchel Paige Indians home jersey? Here's your opportunity. The makers of Louisville Slugger bats are auctioning off some unique items this Saturday, and you can partake either by phone (610-524-0822) or online (huntauctions.com), starting at 10 a.m. ET. Besides the Cobb and Ruth bats (estimated values: $50,000 to $125,000), other nifty possibilities include a Jim Thorpe bat ($75,000) and a bat used by Shoeless Joe Jackson that's likely to obtain the highest bid of the day.

As a bonus, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum also is participating. It has available 24 Negro Leagues throwback game-worn jerseys used by modern-day players including Albert Pujols (St. Louis Stars), Carlos Beltran (K.C. Monarchs) and Mike Piazza (New York Cubans).

This is the first time Hillerich & Bradsby Co., maker of the Sluggers, has offered items to the public from its extensive holdings. Don't worry--for those with a limited budget, there are less pricey offerings.--Paul Attner

6 THE DALE EARNHARDT JR.

If nothing else, Junior's slip of the lip has been a boon to the nation's silly Internet protest sites and the foul-language T-shirt industry, which otherwise would tag now that the presidential election is over the Red Sox won and Ron Zook was fired. At the first race after Junior said what he said, the most popular shirt read, "What the (bad word for hot place) is wrong with saying (the 25-point word)?" Now comes www.itdontmean(the 25-point word).com--or .net, but not .org. And you thought the Internet was just gambling and porn.--Matt Crossman

WITH PENALTY 5,954

Fifth place, 98 points behind Leader Kurt Busch

WITHOUT PENALTY 5,979

Fourth, 73 points behind Busch