I know not all of you have HBO, so I'd like to thank Awful Announcing for compiling this highlight reel of the first episode of Hard Knocks, which looks like it'll be way more fun than watching a Dolphins/Raiders tilt. As you can probably guess, the show is going to focus an awful lot on Romo, TO, Pacman Adam Jones, and of course Jerry Jones.

For those of you still wondering how Pacman was able to get another job after being suspended for a year, I'd say the clip where he catches 6 punts in row - while still holding on to all of them as he does so - would help explain why. Guy can play. Oh, and he also makes it rain at one point, literally.

Also, keep an eye out for Marion Barber, who continues to show why he may be the toughest man to ever step foot on this earth. He absolutely rocks a linebacker who tries to get past him during a speed rush drill.

Luckily, no Jessica Simpson appearance yet, so Cowboys fans can keep dreaming that their team will win the Super Bowl. But once she shows up, we all know it's over.

Hard Knocks Episode One [Awful Announcing]

NBA superstars Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, among others, have previously voiced their views against the genocide in Darfur.  With the Olympics being held in Beijing, and China's overall support of Sudan and those responsible for the genocide, now is the perfect time to speak out. David Stern has even announced that he has no plans to restrict the players' freedom of speech in any way whatsoever. So why aren't they?

For years, the Chinese government has been blocking UN sanctions proposed by the US and UK against Sudan because of Darfur. By doing so, they essentially are throwing support behind the murder of at least 200,000 people, and possibly as much as twice that. Hollywood celebrities Mia Farrow and Steven Speilberg have been especially vocal and active, as well as NBA players Ira Newble and Tracy McGrady. McGrady wrote all about his experiences visiting refugee camps in Chad on his personal website, and Farrow and a group of athletes formed Team Darfur, a self-proclaimed "International coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness about and bringing an end to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan". Newble collected signatures from various NBA athletes for a letter addressed to the president of the IOC, as well as the Chinese government. Lebron James initially declined the opportunity to sign the letter, citing a lack of knowledge about the situation, but later spoke out about it, after researching it for himself. Many politicians, athletes and celebrities have joined together to speak out against the atrocities, as well as China's essential approval of the killings, in the form of their support of the Sudanese government.

While Team USA basketball stars Lebron James and Kobe Bryant have been active in the past in terms of campaigning for a solution to the crisis, the entire team has been silent on the topic as the Games draw closer. Apparently, USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo told the team to stay quiet about politics, and ever since then, the players have been unified in their silence.

Colangelo's request is not only directly against the players' inalienable rights as Americans, it's flat out wrong. This isn't a case of Lebron James stumping for one presidential candidate or another, or some other kind of polarizing partisan political issue. This is a matter of hundreds of thousands of lives at stake, and China's support of the government who is engaging in a modern day Holocaust. There should be no question whatsoever in anyone's mind as to what is the right thing to do. The Sudanese government is wrong. By refusing to support (and allow) the UN sanctions, the Chinese government is wrong as well. The Beijing Olympics are the perfect forum for sending a message. Players have spoke on this issue before, so why not now, when the opportunity is greatest?

China has even gone so far as to revoke the visa of Joey Cheek, because he planned on attending the Games and protesting China's stance on Darfur, as president and co-founder of Team Darfur. China has claimed that they will allow various protests from athletes, but their actions against people like Cheek suggest otherwise. Corruption in China is as problematic as ever, and it's obvious that more high-profile athletes need to speak out, if this subject is ever going to be legitimately addressed. The Chinese government wishes to disassociate the Olympic Games with the Darfur situation. While the two things are certainly independent of each other, athletes keeping mum on the subject only amounts to lost opportunities.

For the most part, I think politics and sports should be kept separate. I don't want to hear who Curt Schilling thinks will make a better president, I don't want to hear who Lebron is voting for, or even Mike Sweeney's thoughts on stem cell research. If you're an athlete, leave the partisan politics at the door. PLEASE. But this isn't an issue of who will veto what bill, or the government keeping their laws off peoples' bodies. This is a matter of life and death, quite literally. There is no question about what is the right thing to do. The time is now to speak up against the genocide in Darfur, and China's support of it. Athletes who have the opportunity and yet fail to do so are not only failing themselves, but the global community as a whole. The USA basketball team, as well as the rest of the athletes involved in the games, should show a united front against China's toleration of the genocide in Darfur. Some things are just bigger than the game. This is absolutely one of them.

From the "you-can't-make-this-up" files, I have some bizarre news on the new ultra weird way for Olympic athletes to get a big time edge.

Apparently, it's been discovered that inserting performance-enhancing drugs through tattoo needles increases the effect of the drugs. By how much you ask? By a ton.


What this means is that athletes can take smaller doses and "fly under the radar" in dope tests. Of course, there's the dead give away on your body of a tattoo. So, if you're attempting to do this, I'd advise against you getting "I use PEDs" tattooed on your bicep.

But here's my question. How in the hell did anyone find out about this? I mean, this is perhaps the weirdest way to cheat I've heard of in forever. And unless someone said to themselves, "Hey, maybe if I tat myself with PEDs, it'll help even more!" I can't see how anyone came to this conclusion. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when this technique was discovered. Chances are it involved a weighlifter and a heroin addict.

In addition to the bizarre tattoo deal, athletes are also combining the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra with doses of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas. Both drugs increase the flow of oxygen in the blood stream and therefore boost sporting performance.

So if you see any athlete on the gold medal stand with a raging hard-on while laughing uncontrollably, odds are pretty good he cheated.

So yeah, should be an awesome Olympics, to say the least.

Olympic athletes using use "drug tattoos" to cheat at winning gold [Sky News]

I'm going to be blatantly honest here. I don't like New York at all. It's too crowded, people from there are arrogant beyond belief, it smells bad, and there's a whole list of other things I hate about it that I can't even write here. But the biggest problem of all is that the city thinks it's the center of the universe. Which isn't actually true, the center of the universe is actually in the Nebulon 5 galaxy. But my point is that because New York deems itself to be the greatest city in the world, everyone who lives there thinks they know everything about everything. And this is never more true than in sports.

The New York sports media is ridiculous. They almost seem to enjoy bringing people down. I always thought Boston was terrible, but they're not even close to New York.

I'm not sure how much Brett Favre has thought about this yet, but he's about to enter a world of hurt by suiting up for the New York Jets.

This is not Wisconsin. This is not the fanbase of the Green Bay Packers who forgive you time and time again for doing something bad, including throwing game killing picks. This is New York, and they don't care that you made a name for yourself in Green Bay and they don't care that you're some hick from Mississippi as you often describe yourself. In fact, they'll likely hold those things against you.

But how about those headlines on the back of the New York Post? Those will be ridiculous with Favre in town. By the way, here are some great Post headlines from the past.

8/18/05 - Wildness by reliever Tanyon Sturtze and second baseman Robinson Cano costs the Yankees another game: THROWS OF DEFEAT

6/23/03 - On a back page photo of Mets closer Armando Benitez, eyes closed, mouth agape, after walking in the tying run in the top of the ninth against the Yankees, who won 7-3 in 11 innings: RELIEF CORPSE

10/17/05 - Giants lose to Cowboys 16-13 in OT: 'BOY VEY

From 2000 - A day after being named head coach of the New York Jets, Bill Belichick abruptly resigns rather than take over an 8-8 team with a cloudy ownership situation: BELICHICKEN

And that's just the NY Post. There's still the Daily News to worry about as well, among others.

Of course, Eli Manning has managed to survive the New York limelight, but if you think it didn't any effect on his play him during his time in the city, you're crazy. Plus, we all know there will be no grace period for Eli even though he just led the Giants to the Super Bowl.

But the attention Eli has gotten over the years will be miniscule in comparison to Favre. Every throw he makes will critiqued. Every snap he takes will be broken down. Every hairbrained gun-slinging pick he throws will be berated.

I just hope he's ready for it. But my guess is, after all his time being coddled in Green Bay, he isn't.

The PGA Championship is underway, I know, crazy they even hold these golf events without Tiger Woods.

Ben Hogan once called this course a monster, that he finally put to rest with a final round 67 to win the 1951 US Open.

So far this morning, the monster has been relatively quiet. Robert Karlsson is off to a great start as is Jim Furyk. Half the field is on the course, with TNT's coverage begining at 1 ET.

Feel free to share how badly you miss Tiger throughout the day.

PGA Championship Round 1 Leaderboard