Good Reads:

Ricky Williams
I think his timing was lousy, but if he didn't want to deal with the pounding of football and the trappings of fame anymore, I can respect that and wish him well.

Dan LeBetard is going to get some considerable mileage from this. His Tuesday column and Wednesday story deal with Ricky retiring.

John Eisenberg wishes Williams well.

Joe Posnanski says Williams wasn't that good anyway.

Tour Wrap-Up
Bob Ford explains a little on how a Tour is actually covered. If you're not a writer then it might not interest you, but I thought it was amusing.

La Salle scandal
Billy Hahn tries to clear his name.
Phil Sheridan says Hahn deserves more blame than he's willing to accept.

Iverson and Brown
The Globe's Peter May looks at the duo's reunification at the Olympics.

Miscellaneous:
Simmons is in Vegas talking about Leno and Letterman for some reason and then the Red Sox and Poker, which means at least one Good Reads regular will love it.

ESPN the Mag's Bruce Feldman defends Miami for taking Willie Williams. I don't know if it has anything to do with his upcoming book on the program or that he's a UM alum. Miami fans an officials would have you believe that because they've kept their noses clean for the past four years or so, that they can go back to recruiting players of questionable character. It takes a lot longer to live down a repuation that it does to create one.

Marion Jones' lawyers are suggesting C.J. Hunter take a polygraph.

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic rips Randy Johnson and predicts this could get nasty.

Uh-oh Cubs fans.

I missed this Tom Powers story on Paul Molitor's win in his fight with cocaine. Worth a look.

Finally the Gary Smith piece from last week's Sports Illustrated has been recomended by many.