By the way: Billy Donovan is a flip-flopper

For "By the way," I will talk about things that don't really have much to do with the Yankees but feel are interesting and should be mentioned here. These items may or may not be about sports, either. This item, incidentally, does indeed deal with sports.

Former Orlando Magic coach Billy Donovan (pictured) had a great exit strategy. If only he were our president.

Donovan, the coach of the two-time University of Florida basketball team, signed a $27.5 million contract to coach the NBA's Magic. However, two days later, he asked the team to let him out of his deal to return to school. ESPN is reporting that an agreement has been reached in principle between the two parties to terminate the contract (source). One of the terms especially intriguing is that Donovan has to agree to not seek an NBA job for five years.

Apparently he was never sold on the job in the first place. Now, there's an obvious question here, so I'll just ask it: why did he take the job? I don't know for sure, but hopefully details are released in the coming days and weeks, because I find this story pretty interesting (which is why I'm writing about it). If his heart is at UF, which he says it is, why even flirt with leaving?

I think that this sets a dangerous precedent (and you all know how precedent-conscious we are!). Teams will not want to keep coaches who do want to be there. This story shows that a contract is nothing more than a piece of paper with a lot of convoluted sentences. The five-year coaching "ban" means nothing if he wanted to stay at UF anyway.

By the way: Does anyone really care about the NHL anymore?; Phillip Wellman

For "By the way," I will talk about things that don't really have much to do with the Yankees but feel are interesting and should be mentioned here. These items may or may not be about sports, either. These two items, incidentally, do indeed deal with sports.

Apparently the NHL is in their version of the NBA Finals, called the Stanley Cup Finals. Apparently the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks are playing the Ottawa Senators, and are leading the series 3-1 after tonight's victory. Apparently the Ducks aren't mighty anymore. I actually knew that the Ducks were playing the Senators. However, I had no idea that a game was on tonight. I probably would've watched it over the ever-exciting Yankee game tonight.

Ever since the NHL lost their contract with ESPN and ABC, they have been placed in the United States' sports purgatory. People are losing interest in droves and it is rapidly losing its status as one of the "Four Major North American Sports." One could argue that NASCAR has eclipsed the NHL as the fourth sport. It really is a shame, because hockey can be very exciting. Unfortunately, there is absolutely zero exposure of the game on ESPN, and this causes casual fans to simply not care.

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By now, I'm sure you've all seen the Phillip Wellman temper tantrum. Yes, it was funny. But it was also very contrived. His antics were so ridiculous that you don't even know what happened in the game to set this man off. I can understand arguing your point to a defiant umpire. Conversely, there is no need to cover home plate in dirt, treat the rosin bag like a hand grenade, or throw second and third base into the outfield. Obviously, Wellman is not a well man. Because of his actions, he was suspended for three games.

By the way: Rachel Nichols does not blink; Duke lacrosse

Here at SPA, I am always trying new things; you know, throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks. For "By the way," I will talk about things that don't really have much to do with the Yankees but feel are interesting and should be mentioned here. These items may or may not be about sports, either. These two items, incidentally, do indeed deal with sports. These may be frequent, considering the way the Yankees are playing this year.

ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols (pictured) does not blink during her reports. If she does, it is an extremely rare occurrence. I have recently started to notice this, and it is pretty remarkable. Next time you see her on SportsCenter, look closely at her eyes, even though the rest of her is rather attractive.

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Duke University's lacrosse team had a great run this year following the "rape" "allegations" by an "exotic" dancer from last year. The 2006 season was canceled and their coach was forced to resign. Three players' lives were seemingly ruined. However, the charges were dropped earlier this year and the team was restored for this season. They finished with a record of 17-3 and lost in the championship game to Johns Hopkins University by only one goal on Monday. Love or hate Duke, this is a great story.