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Monday meanderings: The Chicago Bulls reportedly have agreed to a two-year deal with free-agent guard Kirk Hinrich. He was the Bulls first-round pick out of Kansas in 2003 before being traded two the Washington Wizards in the summer of 2010 to clear salary space. This is general manager Gar Forman’s initial move in 2012 free agency. It is a start. To what isn’t quite clear. But free agency can be like the season itself: It’s not necessarily how you start but what you have when you are finished.
Chyna will be coming to Chicago. She is to appear at Exxxotica 2012 set for July 13-15 at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
* Los Angeles Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson has opted out of baseball’s All-Star Game because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. Meaning Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy
has been added to the American League roster for the game Tuesday (July 10) in Kansas City, Mo. So with right-hander Peavy now included in the festivities, what will White Sox fans complain about? That teammate Gordon Beckham should be going because he does a better Peavy? If things go as planned (and on rare occasion they actually do), you should be able to catch the video in question by clicking here.
* Given Peavy’s health history, shouldn’t he bring along Beckham — or someone — to carry whatever swag they give All-Star Game participants.
* The All-Star Game’s Home Run Derby is Monday (July 9). It’s amazing how quickly that event has caught up to the NBA Slam Dunk Competition in a sport’s insignificance.
* Chicago Cubs right-hander >strong> Ryan Dempster came off the disabled list Sunday (July 8) and pitched five innings in a 7-0 victory vs. the New York Mets to lower his earned-run average to 1.99 and extend his scoreless-inning streak to 27. His next scheduled start is Saturday. The question is whether it will be for the Cubs or for another team. Dempster (4-3) has some value on the trade market for a team contending for the postseason. Of course, he has value to the Cubs, too. But for them, his absence or presence could mean the difference between finishing last or second-to-last in the National League Central. It would be a bigger shock for Dempster to remain with the Cubs for the rest of the season than it would be for the Cubs (33-52) to finish with a winning record.
* In an unrelated move, baseball’s Hall of Fame has ordered craftsmen to stop working on the plaque for Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo for at least a few days. That’s what happens after Rizzo goes 0-for-4 Sunday and his batting average drops from .386 to .354.
* Among the scheduled participants for Exxxotica Chicago July 13-15 at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., is former WWE champion and reality star Chyna. She also has appeared in Playboy. Numerous familiar faces — and body parts — will be returning for the adult-entertainment expo. Among those also scheduled to attend are Ron Jeremy, Alexis Texas, Sunny Leone, Teagan Presley, Tay Stevens, Stoya and many, many more. Something says the research department at elliottharris.com is going to have to get busy learning about all the participants scheduled for the adult-oriented event. For information about the event (have no fear, we will find a sports angle to it and won’t worry about it if we don’t), you can click here. If we play this right, we might be able to run more photos of some scheduled participants later this week.
Here is Chyna talking about adult entertainment:
Speaking of Taylor Stevens (whom we have had the pleasure of interviewing at previous events), here is a sports-themed video she did during the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs when she was something of a distraction in the stands:
While we’re at it, we might as well toss in a tame video of Lea Michele from “Glee” on “Bethenny” talking about being No. 14 on Maxim’s Hot 100 list:
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