Nice work by Carpenter

Les Carpenter often goes unnoticed on the Washington Post's staff full of aces. This story on the hostages in Iran in 1980 and the lifetime pass they were given to all professional baseball games is an excellent read.

Vince being brilliant, Manny being Manny,

It's a one angle day in column-writing land. Just about every name writer in America went after the same story Thursday, with good reason.
Dan Wetzel, Woj, Richard Justice, Phil Sheridan , Michael Wilbon, Bob Ryan, Jason Whitlock , Jay Mariotti and Tim Cowlishaw immortalize Vince Young.

Bill Plaschke eulogizes a great run. Woj has a nice look at Leinart's legacy, a story I'm guessing was originally a plug.

Mike Vaccaro rips Pete Carroll.

I'm not linking to it and I'm sorry I read Bill Simmons' diary on the game last night. The diary column, once a staple of why Simmons was what was fun about journalism, was flat and mailed in. When Simmons is at his best, he combined considerable knowledge of his topic with humor. When he admitted early in the column that he didn't know Mack Brown was white, it was pretty clear he was going to try overhumor the piece and that never ends well.

Tony Massarotti does a nice shred job on Manny Ramirez.

Pujols, Sportsmanship, etc...

Joe Posnanski details Albert Pujols' trip to the Negro League Baseball Museum.

The Virginia Pilot takes Virgina Tech's sportsmanship to task.

The Los Angeles Times looks at the two coaches in tonight's Rose Bowl.

Phil Sheridan looks at a match-up of Good vs. Great.

The Denver Post looks the obstacles a gay athlete would face if they came out in a male team sport.

Jerry Izenburg on the continuing influence of the late Sam Mills.

Bob Ford still doesn't like the BCS.

Sally Jenkins looks at the unlikely heroics or Mark Brunell.

Tamba Hali

ESPN.com has a good story on Penn State's Tamba Hali.