Gary Sheffield belts league benchmark

The Tigers’ Gary Sheffield has hit the Major Leagues’ 250,000th home run. The score, which totaled the number of homers by all players since the establishment of the pros, occurred during a Monday Detroit win against the Athletics. Sheffield’s grand slam, his second homer of the game, also leaves him just four shy of 500 career home runs. Starting with the National League, the first homer recorded occurred on May 2, 1876.

Golfer wins water war with 129,000 gallons per month

How huge would a crib have to be to use 129,000 gallons of water a month? Tiger Woods knows. The Orlando Sentinel reports that while an average home uses 10,000 gallons monthly, Woods’ house on Jupiter Island near Palm Beach soaks up over 10 times the norm. Fellow Floridian athletes Grant Hill and Dwight Howard put out eye-popping numbers, too: Hill reportedly used 263,000 gallons in May alone, Howard, 189,000 gallons in July. Sounds like plenty of pool parties or lots of toilet flushing – or maybe both.

Donyell Marshall to reach 15 years as Sixer. He may have been dropped by the then-unnamed, newly franchised Oklahoma City Thunder, but NBA vet Donyell Marshall wouldn’t be counted out. Marshall will reach his 15^th year in the league as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers after Oklahoma waived him. Marshall, 35, is expected to sign a one year deal with Philly for $1.26 million by week’s end. The deal makes the vet one of the seasoned class eligible for a minimum salary guaranteed only to players with at least 10 years experience in the league. Marshall last averaged 3.8 points off the bench with Seattle before the team moved to Oklahoma.

NFL season begins tonight. The Giants hope to defend their Super Bowl title as the NFL officially begins its regular season today. Meanwhile, New England is among top contenders, Adam “Pacman” Jones will try to show he’s worth his welcome back into the league from

suspension, and Chad Ocho Cinco, formerly Chad Johnson, will likely do his best impression as the Dennis Rodman of football. Keep up with all the action by visiting BET.com.

Golfer could defend Dubai Desert Classic title

Tiger Woods says he could be back in action in time for late January’s Dubai Desert Classic title, following knee surgery. Woods is still recovering, but told media at a recent appearance in Dubai that he could be ready. “I don’t know my schedule for next year… I will be hitting golf balls at the beginning of the year,” Woods said. The star spoke at the launch of a billion-dollar golf project that he designed in Dubai this week. The Desert Classic begins Jan. 27, 2009.

“Boundary calls” will be up for review. The debate among baseball purists and those arguing that the sport use technology to its advantage has ended. Major League stadiums that recently installed video monitoring equipment have officially enacted the use of instant replay. Partly inspired by questionable homerun calls from on the field, the review will be used selectively, officials say. “Boundary calls,” not balls and strikes, will be the plays that are subject to determination by replay, in addition to umpires, says Commissioner Bud Selig.

“Rampage” Jackson could get prison for car chase

Former mixed martial arts UFC champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson could get three years in prison following his recent California road race with cops. The Orange County DA has charged Jackson with evading while driving recklessly, evading a peace officer, hit-and-run and reckless driving after Jackson allegedly fled police in a monster truck bearing his painted image. Jackson was also recently given a mental evaluation after he was found at home despondent. He reportedly has been depressed since losing his title belt in a bout this summer. Jackson allegedly hit two cars on a freeway, hit another car on a surface street and sent pedestrians running for safety during the police episode.
Nine-year-old’s talent threatens teams. Jericho Scott’s 40 miles-per-hour pitches have a Connecticut baseball league pitching fits. Scott, who’s 9, recently caused a team opposing his Power Fitness-sponsored squad to forfeit when they learned that he would take the mound. Discussions have ranged from having the three-year-old Youth Baseball League of New Haven’s teams re-configured to refunding sign-up fees to anyone requesting it. “I feel sad,” the young pitcher says. “I feel like it’s my fault nobody could play.” Jericho’s coach and parents defend him, arguing that he’s never hurt anyone and that he shouldn’t be outcast for being “too good.” A lawyer has planned to meet with Jericho’s parents to consider action that could secure his right to compete in the league after he was banned shortly before playoffs.

The LPGA Takes An English-only position. The LPGA’s is going to require that players speak English. Read more in Playa Hater.

National Urban League and Walgreens provides free health screenings. In an effort to promote early detection and raise awareness of preventable diseases in urban communities, the National Urban League and Walgreens have partnered to launch a nationwide, educational health screening bus tour. The tour will encourage consumers to act as their own health advocates by visiting the wellness bus when it visits New Orleans August 28-30. The National Urban League and Walgreens Wellness Tour will continue will raise awareness of various health issues and encourage individuals to seek the appropriate resources by providing free health screenings in 27 urban communities across the U.S. as part of a 12-month mobile health campaign. the 38-foot customized bus features five free screenings, including blood pressure, bone density, glucose levels, cholesterol levels and body mass index which total more than $100 in value. “Walgreen is delighted to partner with the National Urban League to provide resources that will empower Americans in urban communities to live healthier lives,” said Mark Wagner, executive vice president of store operations for Walgreen Co. “Many diseases can be detected through screenings long before any symptoms are noticed, which is why we are bringing this valuable service to residents of New Orleans.” People in urban communities, particularly minorities, experience disproportionately higher rates of preventable disease. “The National Urban League is pleased to offer these screenings and health information to people who otherwise may not have had access to these basic health resources,” said Marc H. Morial, NUL president and CEO. “We are excited to be taking this tour to major cities across the country , such as Chicago, New York and Miami.” The National Urban League’s State of Black America 2006 reports that Blacks are impacted by higher rates of obesity, substance abuse and diabetes.

Married folks are the healthiest. People who’ve exchanged wedding vows tend to be healthier than their single, divorced or widowed peers, but new research shows that health gap may be narrowing, reports HealthDay News. Interviews with today’s never-married men suggest they are healthier than never-married guys were three decades ago, researchers say. And that’s helping single males gain some ground, in terms of their health, compared to married people. “One of the most-often documented facts is that married people are healthier than non-married people, but the difference between married and unmarried people has changed over the past few decades,” said the study’s lead author, Hui Liu, an assistant professor and sociologist at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Liu said there are two theories as to why married people report better health. One is that being married gives you more access to social support and economic resources. The other is that being divorced or widowed hurts health. “In general, marriage tends to make people healthier, happier and richer, and that’s especially true for men,” Scott Wetzler, vice chairman of psychiatry and behavioral science, and head of the “Supporting Healthy Marriage” program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City told HealthDay.

Some overweight people can be healthy.

Some obese individuals do not appear to have an increased risk of heart disease, while some normal-weight individuals experience a variety of heart risks, according to two reports in the August 11 Issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA/Archives journal. “The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, and this epidemic is accompanied by a high incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease,” the authors write as background information in one of the articles. But research shows that in addition to overall obesity, the way body fat is distributed may decide whether a person is at risk of heart disease and diabetes. For instance, individuals with fat around the tummy — estimated by measuring waist size —appear to be at higher risk for insulin resistance (a pre-diabetic condition that occurs when the body fails to respond to the hormone insulin) and for having an unhealthy cardiovascular risk profile. In one study, individuals in the obese–insulin sensitive group did not differ from the normal-weight group in insulin sensitivity or artery wall thickness, the authors note. “In conclusion, we provide evidence that a metabolically benign obesity can be identified and that it may protect from insulin resistance and atherosclerosis,” Norbert Stefan, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Tübingen, Germany, wrote about their study of 314 individuals age 18 to 69 (average age 45). The second study found that among U.S. adults 20 years and older, 23.5 percent (about 12 million adults) of normal weight had abnormal metabolisms, while 51 percent (about 36 million adults) who were overweight and 31.7 percent who were considered obese had healthy metabolisms. The average weight of individuals with slow metabolisms tended to be older, less physically active and had large weights. Bottom line, waist size had more to do with whether a person had an increased risk for heart disease or diabetes than their actual weight, the studies show.

Peoria Chiefs Player Allegedly Hit Spectator In Head With Ball.
The Peoria Chiefs’ Julio Castillo could face up to eight years in prison and a $15,000 fine if he’s convicted of deliberately hitting a fan with a pitch during a Class A game’s brawl last week. The minor-league fracas between the Chiefs and Dayton Dragons resulted in 15 player and manager ejections. Castillo is shown on camera winding up and throwing a ball that allegedly struck spectator Chris McCarthy, 44, in the forehead. McCarthy was treated at a hospital in Dayton. Castillo, 21, was tackled to the ground after throwing the pitch, and later jailed. The Dominican Republic native’s passport was revoked. He’s free after posting bond.

Detroit’s mayor could face new felony charges after confrontation with deputy
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has potentially added new problems to his list of felony charges stemming from a perjury case: A Wayne County sheriff’s deputy says the mayor assaulted him Tuesday while the deputy and an investigator were trying to serve a warrant. More details at BET.com/News.

The Army honors wrongly convicted Black soldiers
The U.S. Army will apologize to Black soldiers who were framed in 1944 for rioting and lynching an Italian POW in Seattle. Almost 65 years ago, 28 African-American soldiers were court-martialed after being falsely accused, but an Army appeals court found last year that the process was patently unfair. This week, the grandchildren and other relatives of the wrongly accused are descending upon Seattle to participate in tributes to the men. “We’re a little nervous to see where it all began, and we’re all wondering what kind of emotions will be elicited by coming to see where it all happened,” Lashell Drake told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The Milwaukee woman’s deceased grandfather, Booker Townsell, was among those wrongly convicted, according to the newspaper. A book by author Jack Hamann uncovered the fact that the accused men weren’t even present at the time the Italian prisoner was lynched. Sadly, Hamann learned, Army investigators discovered this truth during the largest and longest court-martial of World War II but kept that crucial information on the down-low. According to the author, White soldiers resented Italian POWs because high school girls adored them. Among the prosecutors in the infamous case was Leon Jaworski, who later became a Watergate special prosecutor, according to the Post-Intelligencer.

Urban League praises lawmakers for housing-crisis bill
Urban League President Marc Morial gave Congress props on Thursday for working to give struggling homeowners a leg up during the current severe housing crisis, which disproportionately affects Black Americans. The landmark “American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008,” is now under consideration by the House of Representatives. In particular, Morial praised the following lawmakers for their involvement on the legislation: Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, Rep. Barney Frank; chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, Rep. Maxine Waters; chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick; chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Charles Rangel; and the entire Congressional Black Caucus. “These congressional leaders have ensured that the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention of Act 2008 not only addresses the larger problems of industry giants like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but also specifically targets urban, low-income and minority communities and homeowners who have been affected by unscrupulous sub-prime and predatory loans.” In its 2008 State of Black America Report, the National Urban League noted that Blacks hold nearly five times more installment debt than Whites, and the median net worth for African Americans is $11,800, versus $118,300 for Whites. The National Urban League has been in the housing counseling business for more than 40 years and currently serves over 40,000 homeowners per year.

About twice as many African-American as White young people are jobless

The Congressional Black Caucus wants President George W. Bush to ensure the survival of the National Urban League’s Urban Youth Empowerment Program, which could be nixed from the Department of Labor’s budget as early as next week. “It is our understanding that the funding, which enables the program to provide much-needed services to young people to reduce recidivism, to complete their high school education and to find jobs is to be terminated on June 30, 2008,” 37 African-American members of Congress wrote to Bush, NNPA reports. “Now is not the time for the Department of Labor to turn its back on young people who are trying to turn their lives around. These young people will be kicked out of the program unless you intervene.” Reminding that programs such as the empowerment project keeps youths constructively occupied and off the streets, the members say that if the Bush administration would put about $4 million in the pot, some 800 young people would be able to finish their training. “At a time when incarceration rates are at an all-time high in the nation, and unemployment among young people is steadily increasing, the program serves as a valuable resource to underserved communities around the country,” the letter states. “The program has a demonstrated record of effectiveness in assisting at-risk youth in educational opportunities, job training and placement, and the support needed to make a successful transition into the workplace.” Roughly one in three Black teens between 16 and 19 years old are out of work, double the rate of unemployed White teens.