The Icepick Cometh

Mighty Mite Mike Lupica unsurprisingly tops New York sportswriters in estimated salary in a post from The Big Lead on the highest paid sporstwriters (Update: The Big Lead posted a follow-up), with former SI and current ESPN Mag thinks-he's-funny-man Rick Reilly topping the estimated national list of sportswriters (broadcasters who think they can write are left off the list).

Gawker links to it, and adds its own chart and commenter-generated snark for these writing men plus one writing woman. Though we'd gladly pay to read Whitlock and Feinstein (and Gary Smith, as noted in the updated post), the list skews heavily toward hack-scribblers with Lupica, Albom, Reilly, Mariotti and (often) Simmons. Bitter/jealous much? Hell yeah, I am!

Continuing on our sports theme, and for our Boston (both current residents and fans of) readership (apparently, there's quite a few of 3 of you): Congratulations! This is for you, beaneaters:

"Boston Just Can't Get Enthusiastic About Sports Rioting Anymore"
(via Deadspin.com)

and this:

Police arrest 23 during Celtics revelry
(link and photo of potential He-Man relative via Boston Globe

Finally, can't Italy win without drama and a dose of skirting failure? Though the Azzuri beat France 2-0 in their final group-stage game in the European Championship on Tuesday in a rematch of the great 2006 World Cup final — of Zidane head-butt fame — both Andrea Pirlo and Snarling Dog Gennaro Gattuso, Italy's star midfielders, got themselves eliminated from the quarterfinal Sunday against Spain by picking up their second yellow cards of the opening stage.

Pirlo's smashing penalty kick in the 25th minute and Daniele De Rossi's goal in the 62rd minute carried the Italians past Les Bleus. Former Fiorentina striker Luca Toni (Number Nyne!) looked great in the first half, just missing wide on at least three sublime touches inside the box. Both goals came after France went down to 10 men, despite the efforts of the unparalleled Thierry Henry.