Throw a flag on this referee

When LeSean McCoy says the NFL’s replacement officials are like fans, he isn’t kidding. “One of the refs was talking about his fantasy team, like ‘McCoy, come on, I need you for my fantasy,’ ’’ the Eagles’ running back told Sportsradio 94WIP radio in Philadelphia …

Rapper 50 Cent addressed rumors of a falling out between himself and boxer Floyd Mayweather last week on the Rickey Smiley morning show. “Me and Floyd are always going to be cool,” he said. “With Floyd, everybody around him is waiting on the next time …

HE SAID IT “Oh keep this young starlet off the road – beware in LA area of Amanda Bynes she feels she is above the law - stop her b4 too late” Dick Vitale, tweeting Tuesday about troubled Hollywood star Amanda Bynes. The cops are already …

Alex Zanardi: From pedal to medal

A lex Zanardi just loves to race. But what he really likes to do is win. The two-time CART champion and ex-Formula One driver took the Paralympic gold medal Wednesday in paracycling — a hand cycle powered by the arms. The win capped an incredible …

Big number: Bears worth $1.19 billion

That’s the value of the Bears franchise, according to numbers released by Forbes on Wednesday. The Bears rank eighth in the NFL: 1. Cowboys $2.1B 2. Patriots $1.635B 3. Redskins $1.6B 4. Giants $1.468B 5. Texans $1.305B 6. Jets $1.284B 7. Eagles $1.26B 8. BEARS $1.19B 9. 49ers $1.175B 10. Packers $1.161B The …

‘‘Blade Runner’’ Oscar Pistorius makes headlines by not winning 200 meters

A chastened Oscar Pistorius moved Monday to defuse the row that threatens to blemish the clean-cut image he forged during a protracted struggle to compete alongside able-bodied rivals. For years Pistorius was the poster boy of the Paralympics. But the era of invincibility for the …

Dwyane Wade back in Chicago with plenty of words

Though he’s in Miami most of the year, Dwyane Wade always finds time to come back and give back to his hometown. The Heat star was in Chicago all weekend for his fifth annual “Wade’s World Foundation,’’ which pushes reading and literacy for at-risk children. …

Sorry, Kobe but Michael Jordan is still not impressed

Kobe Bryant started it. And Michael Jordan is intent on finishing it — especially if he’s got a product to market. In a conference call to announce that NBA 2K13 will include the 1992 Dream Team along with this year’s gold-medal winning squad, Jordan continued …

Tough loss for Chicago as Sarah Kustok leaves CSN

Chicago will lose one of its own when sports reporter Sarah Kustok signs off with Comcast SportsNet Chicago in the coming weeks.  The versatile announcer began her career with CSN in 2009 and more recently has performed fill-in anchor and studio work for Channel 5.  …

Ken Williams walks like an Egyptian

White Sox general manager Ken Williams spent the All-Star break on an Egyptian vacation with his friend CNN anchor Zoraida Sambolin. Williams watched part of his team’s first game against the Kansas City Royals after the break on his Slingbox device in a cab en …

Those  are boos

The “Mookie” Wilson chants at Mets games used to sound like boos, but there was no mistaking how the crowd felt about a certain “Jersey Shore” star on Monday.  Fans were not chanting “SNOOOOki”  when Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s face appeared on the scoreboard.  This eyewitness account …

Pete Rose hopes to get a hit with reality show

Pete Rose is on deck for his own reality TV show. TLC is working on a show following Rose and his fiancée, model Kiana Kim, who has posed for Playboy. Rose, 71, is banned from baseball for betting on games when he was the manager …

Pro Beach Volleyball Series in Chicago

At sun-kissed Oak Street Beach on Sunday, Jenny Kropp (right) and Whitney Pavlik bask in the glow of their third consecutive title in the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series. The top seeds rallied from a three-point deficit late in the second set and from …

Denny McLain pitches new book in Schaumburg

Two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Denny  McLain threw out the first pitch at the Schaumburg Boomers’ game Sunday, and his fastball was noticeably slower. But McLain, 68 — the last pitcher to win 30 games when he went 31-6 in 1968 — was …

Ray Allen takes out full-page ad to say goodbye to Boston fans

There are two typical ways to say goodbye to fans and a city where you played: Host a TV special and announce that you are taking your talents to South Beach or take out a full-page ad in the newspaper to thank fans. Ray Allen …