To ring in the new week, here are a few stories worth your attention:

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"Hawaii More Than Just Paradise For QB, Coach"
Article from Sporting News about Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan and head coach June Jones, and their round-about route to the University of Hawaii.

North Central Conference connection: Who does Hawaii play in the season opener? None other than former NCC powerhouse Northern Colorado.

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"Five Squads In Position To Win It All"
Another article from Sporting News, but this time about college basketball. Mike DeCourcy says Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA all have the potential to win the national championship.

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"Phillies Notes - Hamels Throws, Says Elbow Is Fine
Cole Hamels, the Philadelphia Phillies ace, seems to be progressing well in his stint on the DL with a sore elbow, writes the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Before Saturday night's game against the Padres, Hamels threw a few pitches and said his injured left elbow felt fine.

"There was no soreness. It was all good," said Hamels, who is eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday.

There's a chance Hamels (14-5) will rejoin the Phillies' injury-plagued rotation in Florida on Saturday or next Sunday, but the lefthander hinted that he did not expect to return until the series in Atlanta, which starts Sept. 3.

Hamels Lands On The DL

...And Scribetalk cries.

Philadelphia Phillies left-handed starter Cole Hamels, my favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained elbow.

Thankfully, Hamels has no structural damage in his left elbow, after undergoing an MRI today. The ligament is fully intact, writes Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

He was scheduled to start Wednesday night's game against the LA Dodgers. J.D. Durbin (5-2, 5.36) moved up to take Hamels' start against Los Angeles. Fabio Castro was recalled to pitch Thursday afternoon.

Hamels (14-5, 3.50 ERA) received some good news when an MRI revealed no structural or ligament damage in his elbow. He's expected to miss at least two starts and is eligible to return on Sept. 1.

"Some people can pitch through it. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything serious so knowing that, I can pitch through it," Hamels said. "I know this isn't going to be anything serious."

The 23-year-old Hamels has thrown 167 1/3 innings this season, the most he's pitched in one year during his professional career.

A first-round pick in 2002, Hamels went 9-8 with a 4.08 ERA in 23 starts as a rookie last season. He missed two weeks with a strained shoulder and was outstanding down the stretch, going 6-3 with a 2.60 ERA in his last 11 starts.

"It's something that, when it is serious and you're trying to pitch through it, that's when you can cause some more injuries," he said. "You can lose the good side of trying to go out there for the team."

Manager Charlie Manuel was relieved his ace isn't going to need surgery.

"I don't want him to miss any [starts], but I think this is what's best for him and us," Manuel said in the ESPN.com story. "Luckily, we didn't lose him for the rest of the season."

While Hamels became the 19th Phillies player to go on the disabled list this season, right fielder Shane Victorino was back in the starting lineup after missing three weeks with a calf injury. And, All-Star second baseman Chase Utley (hand) took batting practice and could return next week.

Here are Hamels' up-to-date season stats:
Record (14-5). ERA (3.50). Strikeouts (150). Age (23).

Photo: Jerry Lodriguss/Inquirer

What more can Minnesota take?

How much more can the Minneapolis community take?

First, Timberwolves superstar Kevin Garnett gets traded to the Boston Celtics - after months (and years) of him saying he doesn't want to go anywhere else. Minnesota fans cry for days.

Then, the I-35W bridge - blocks from the Metrodome - collapses, killing 13 people (at last check). The Twins are forced to postpone one game and the ground-breaking for the new stadium.

And now, the Timberwolves are rocked again. Former T-Wolves' forward Eddie Griffin was identified as the victim of a car-train accident in Houston, Tex. last week. Granted, he played in only 13 games for Minnesota, but still, he was only 25 years old.

And with the Twins struggling to stay above the .500 mark, things are definitely at an all-time low in Minnesota sports lore.

Santana Strikes Out 17 In Victory

Coming into Sunday, Twins' ace Johan Santana had won just once in his past six starts. This from a pitcher who has been nothing short of amazing in the second half over the past three seasons.

So as the Twins took the field Sunday against the Texas Rangers, they needed a big game from Santana. But more than that, they needed to score runs.

Well, they settled for just one run and got an EXCELLENT game from Santana.

Here's the AP report from the game:

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Johan Santana gave the crowd at the Metrodome something to remember on the same weekend the Minnesota Twins honored their first championship team.

Santana set a franchise record with 17 strikeouts in eight innings to lead the Minnesota Twins past the Texas Rangers 1-0 Sunday.

"You see these guys from 1987 coming in and what they did 20 years ago was really good," said Santana, who was 8 years old when Minnesota won its first of two championships. "We still have a long way to go, but hopefully we will make it special, and 20 years from now we'll be in the same situation."

Santana's 17 strikeouts were the most in the majors since Ben Sheets fanned 18 in Milwaukee's 4-1 win over Atlanta on May 16, 2004, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He broke the Minnesota record of 15, accomplished four times -- the last by Bert Blyleven on Aug. 1, 1986, against Oakland.

"Somehow I'll always remember this game," said Michael Cuddyer, who homered for the lone run.

Catcher Mike Redmond said Santana (13-9) did not shake him off once."I've had a handful of opportunities to catch a no-hitter. I've had a couple of one-hitters and a few two-hitters," he said. "When I walked off the field in the second inning I thought 'This could be it. This guy's got some amazing stuff today.' ... He was unbelievable. He executed all day."

Santana retired the first 12 batters he faced before Sammy Sosa led off the fifth with a single to left-center. Sosa also doubled with two outs in the seventh for Texas' only other hit against the left-hander.

"I didn't try to do anything different, I was just trying to stay aggressive, get ahead in the count and throw my fastball for strikes," Santana said.

Joe Nathan pitched a scoreless ninth for his 27th save in 29 chances. He struck out Brad Wilkerson and Michael Young with a runner on second to finish off the two-hitter.

Minnesota's 19 strikeouts for the game were also a team record. The previous mark was 18, last set May 22 at Texas. Santana had 13 Ks in that win.
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For the record, I've been a huge Johan Santana fan for the past 4-5 years, before he was moved into the Twins' starting rotation. Before he was the best pitcher in the game. And before he won two AL Cy Young Awards.

Just thought I'd mention that!
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Photo: AP Photo/Paul Battaglia

Hamels Gets Win No. 14

What better way for Cole Hamels to get win No. 14 then over the last-place Washington Nationals.

Fortunately for Hamels, his bullpen didn't let him this time. Thursday night, Hamels pitched 6.2 shutout innings in a 4-2 Phillies win over the Nationals - winning his third straight decision.

The victory moved the Phillies, who have won three third straight series, ahead of Atlanta and back into second place in the NL East. But more importantly, to Scribetalk at least, Hamels tied for the NL lead in victories (along with Carlos Zambrano, Tim Hudson and Brad Penny).

Hamels is still on pace for a 20-win season, which has been his stated goal all season. And if he hasn't already, Hamels is close to being a favorite for the NL Cy Young Award.

At just 23 years old, Hamels has quickly become the ace of the Phillies' staff, says Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Zach Berman.

In his story Friday, Berman writes:

"In a patchwork pitching rotation, Cole Hamels' presence almost went without saying. He is a bona-fide ace, a designation he continued to embellish last night by beating the Nationals and giving the Phillies their third consecutive series win."

Updated Hamels stats: Record (14-5), Strikeouts (156), ERA (3.50)

Next start: Wednesday, Aug. 22 at home against the LA Dodgers

Photo: Greg Fiume / Getty Images

Wednesday Linkage

Coming off a 4-8 season, the University of Connecticut - UConn - football team desperately needs a change of fortune. It's been three years (2004) since they last appeared in a bowl game, which is sad when you look at how many fricking bowls there are in college football.

So when UConn held its annual media day on Monday, the focus was understandably on how the team can improve. Especially on the future of head coach Randy Edsall.

In his story Wednesday for the Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin, reporter Joe Perez briefly discusses the subject of Edsall being on the "hot seat." But in my opinion, he grossly ignored the topic.

Read for yourself.
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Richard Sandomir of the New York Times pens a great piece about Yankee legend Phil Rizzuto. You can read the story here.

An eerie sidenote to Rizzuto's death Monday: It was the 12-year "anniversary" of the death of Yankee great Mickey Mantle. Eerie.

After reading that, check out Mike Lupica's piece about Rizzuto.
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Talk about joining the party late, Alex Beam of the Boston Globe tells us why the David Beckham hype won't work in this country. Read his extremely late column here.

Beam, have you been living under a rock for the past month?
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In probably one of the best ideas for a story ever, ESPN.com Page 2's Jemele Hill catches up with Grayson Boucher - AKA "The Professor."

Read the excellent piece here.

When Boucher first joined the And 1 Mix Tape Tour, my friends would call me The Professor when we'd play a pick-up game. Not sure if it was some rudimentary compliment, or just a jab at my skills. I'm not sure if a 6-foot-3 jump shooter can technically be called "The Professor."

Hamels Gets Win No. 13

It was a strange night for Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies last night in Atlanta.

Hamels allowed four runs to the Braves in the first inning — but kept them hitless for the next six. Despite the rough start, Hamels got the win, as the Phillies held off Atlanta 5-4.

It wasn't pretty, but a win's a win, all the same.

Hamels (13-5) retired 17 of his last 19 batters and allowing just two baserunners - one on a walk and one on Wes Helms' fielding error. Neither reached second base, as Hamels walked two and struck out two.

Hamels, who allowed four earned runs in seven innings in his previous outing last Saturday in Milwaukee, gave up that many after only seven batters Friday.

''I just had to step back and relax,'' Hamels said. ''I wasn't able to finish guys off in that first inning. I just needed to forget about that and move on. I had to concentrate on getting ahead of hitters and finish them off.''

Hamels remains on pace to become the Phillies' first 20-game winner since another left-hander, Steve Carlton, accomplished the feat in 1982.

With 9 or maybe even 10 starts left in the regular season, Hamels has an outside chance of winning 2o — if he can win 7 of those.

The Fightin' Phils have won three of their last four games and pulled ahead of Atlanta into second in the NL East.
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Martin Frank, a columnist for The News Journal (Del.) writes in his column today that Friday night's performance by Hamels after the first inning is a sign that he can "be an elite pitcher for years to come."

Hamels made sure the Braves stayed at four. Because he did, he made it perfectly clear that he will relish the chance to pitch in the meaningful games that will continue through September, when the nights are filled with an autumn chill.