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Recall, if you will, that the University of Iowa's latest football-related legal scandal (aside from last night's public intox arrest of incoming freshman Riley Reiff, anyway) came about six weeks ago when freshman defensive backs Cedric Everson and Abe Satterfield were arrested in connection with an alleged sexual assault. What made the assault case peculiar is that it allegedly happened in late October, and investigations by public safety didn't even take place until about a month later. Everson and Satterfield transferred after the fall semester.

Why the long delay, you may be asking? The victim's mother wondered the same thing.

In a letter to the University dated November 19, 2007 and released today by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, the mother detailed a long list of frustrations in relation to the school's handling of the case. The concerns ranged from the university's preference to keep punishment for the alleged sexual assault "in house" to the general welfare and safety of the alleged victim.

The University offered a response that included the following passage:

The safety and well-being of the student has always been at the forefront of our concern. Each step of the way everyone involved with the University worked in accordance with University policy and procedures and attempted to convey those policies and procedures to the student and her family.

The mother's letter, however, paints a starkly different picture.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Robert "Tractor" Traylor hasn't appeared in the NBA since 2005, but after several stops in Spain, Puerto Rico, and, well, the courthouse, he's hoping to return to the Big Show by earning a roster spot in Summer League. I caught up with Tractor after the Cavs' game yesterday and talked about where he's been and what his future might hold.

Matt Watson: Your career has taken a little bit of a detour. Do you feel like you're on the right path again?

Robert Traylor: Yeah, I think so. I think with this point in time, this opportunity to come out and play in the summer league has given me a great opportunity to get myself back to where I want to be and hopefully be in the NBA when the season starts.

MW: Playing in Spain and Puerto Rico, how does that compare to the competition you face out here?

RT: It's a lot different, but I think in Puerto Rico the competition is actually great. You've got a lot of great players over there. We played a lot of games, like 32 games in 61 days.

UFC President Dana White is at it again.

In May, we noted that UFC tried to make rival EliteXC look bad by televising a Spike show that included EliteXC's best fighter, Robbie Lawler, getting knocked out in a UFC fight.

Now UFC wants to make the rival Affliction promotion look bad before its pay-per-view debut today, so this afternoon's Spike programming includes an old UFC fight in which Jason Lambert knocked out Renato "Babalu" Sobral. Sobral is part of tonight's Affliction show.

A lot of fans don't like White's methods, but it's hard to blame him for offering exactly this kind of counter-programming. UFC's vast library includes thousands of fights, and almost every noteworthy MMA fighter in the world has lost at least once in a fight that UFC owns the broadcast rights to. That means that every fighter who fights for a rival promotion had better be ready to see himself lose on Spike.

After the news broke that Tiger Woods was done for the rest of the season, golf fans sat, jaw open, wondering what was going to happen to their beloved sport.

From a story that nobody could realistically write, 53-year-old Greg Norman has hovered over the links at Royal Birkdale in a fashion that makes you think it's 1993, not 2008, leading after 54 holes at the British Open.

A round of two-over 72 today, with a chip on the last that nearly disappeared for a closing birdie, has to be one of the most impressive rounds of his illustrious career in winds that were knocking golf balls around like a golfer tossing up blades of grass.

"I put it in the top three toughest rounds I've ever played," Norman said after the round. "My play has been reflective of my mindset which is good. I'm enjoying it and as long as I keep enjoying what I'm doing, a happy mind brings a lot of happiness."

Norman bounced back from a double-bogey on the 10th hole with birdies on the 14th and 17th, closing his last nine at even par while everyone else struggled.

He hasn't won a PGA Tour event since 1997 and he hasn't led a major since the infamous collapse at Augusta in 1996, but Norman has that rare chance to completely rewrite his legacy. In 18 simple, links golf holes Norman could go from notorious choke artist to living legend, Jack Nicklaus at the Masters in 1986 be damned.

The Shark has defending champion Padraig Harrington, steady K.J. Choi and young gun Anthony Kim biting at his heels, but it hasn't seemed to bother him thus far.

If you're not excited about the possibility of this story unfolding tomorrow, you just don't love sports. Greg Norman is slowly making this Open Championship the most exciting we've seen in years.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Mike D'Antoni found himself in a whole new world of bizarre when he took the New York Job, from the environment to the media to the players. And by players, I mean Stephon Marbury. For a team trying to rebuild, the Summer League can be absolutely vital. I caught up with Coach D'Antoni yesterday to briefly ask him about Summer League, the plethora of guys on roster right now (16), and of course, Stephon Marbury's newest tat.

MM: What are the most important benefits the Summer League brings to a team?

MD: Well, it gives you a look at your rookies. It gives them a taste of the NBA. It gives you a chance to spend a week with them, and get to know the personalities of the first and second year guys, and work on their games.

MM: You signed Roberson, obviously, so there's going to be some thinning out of the roster. Do you consider it a blessing to have that much talent, or does this more give you a chance to get rid of some guys you don't want?

MD: Well, we're in the process of fixing the roster. We do have six days, so something's going to happen. We're pretty comfortable where we're at. There's no real set plan of "We'll do this tomorrow and this the next day." We're still evaluating every day.

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- The Diamondbacks have lost their grip on first place in the NL West and now they'll be without right fielder Justin Upton for a spell as they try to fend off the Dodgers. The budding 20-year-old star has battled a strained oblique injury since before the All-Star break. Eric Byrnes' season is already in doubt, so this news has to increase the pressure on Arizona GM Josh Byrnes to go out and get an outfielder. We know the Snakes won't rule out Barry Bonds, but Seattle's Raul Ibanez or one of the available Pittsburgh bats -- Xavier Nady or Jason Bay -- are still more likely to wind up in Arizona.

- The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt reports that a top Brewers official is at Yankee Stadium for this weekend's Yankees-A's series scouting players. The player most likely being watched by Milwaukee? Oakland closer Huston Street, who has been effective, though not his usual dominant self this season. The Brewers have bolstered their rotation already by adding CC Sabathia, but the bullpen is still a point of concern. Milwaukee ranks 10th in the NL in bullpen ERA and it will have to get better if the club is going to make a push for the postseason.

Most of the time viewers watch golfers on the PGA Tour and are more jealous than the buddy of a powerball winner.

Today isn't one of those times.

The leaders at the Open Championship are battling their way around the links of Royal Birkdale in winds that are gusting to 40 miles-per-hour, hitting balls in places you'd never expect pros to be.

Nobody has broke par today and an Englishman named Simon Wakefield, who even the best of golf fans couldn't pick out of a lineup, fired an even-par round of 70 to post five-over, a number that is slowly becoming the mark to beat.

Justin Rose shot an 82, Jean Van de Velde fired an 80 and Adam Scott posted a 77 in winds on a day where the scoring average is 75.75, nearly six-over.

It appears nobody told Greg Norman that he's supposed to be struggling in these conditions. The Shark just made a birdie on the 14th hole to move in the lead at three-over, tied with K.J. Choi as they attempt to take advantage of the par-5 15th.

The weather has brought a lot of golfers back into the picture, including early favorite Anthony Kim, who made an eagle on the 17th hole to post 71. Kim stands at seven-over and as close as he's ever been to winning a major championship.

Bundle up, throw down another glass of coffee and remember how important a par is today. Our final pairing tomorrow could very easily be Simon Wakefield and Greg Norman. My how the world of golf is different without a certain Tiger Woods around.

Welcome to the live blog for tonight's UFC event, where we'll chat and provide commentary and round-by-round updates of all the UFC fights, including the main event of Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin. The show and our live blog will start at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Ian Thomsen of SI.com followed up on his potentially blasphemous rumor last week that, prior to acquiring Marcus Camby in exchange for a mint Charizard and two handfuls of Peanut M&Ms, the Clippers had offered to take Zach Randolph off New York's hands for absolutely nothing ... and the Knicks declined. As it turns out, the offer wasn't so sweet for the 'Bockers. Steve Adamek of the Bergen Record reports:

[T]he Clippers wanted a future first-round draft pick (remember, the Knicks owe Utah a No. 1 in one of the next two years via a long-winding road involving the Stephon Marbury deal), plus $3 million and wanted the Knicks to take Brevin Knight off their hands.

For the Knicks, trading first-round picks should be automatically off the table, unless someone's taking Jared Jeffries and Jerome James. You can't rebuild without young help, and it's hard to get young help without draft picks. With these new details, the deal becomes slightly less insane for each side. Los Angeles obviously got away for grand theft in its deal for Camby; even the Z-Bo trade which included a pick and a bit of cap relief would have been questioned, however.

Every time I say to myself, "Self, Zach is untradeable. No one will trade for him," I remember the time Shaquille O'Neal got traded for Shawn Marion, and the time Kwame Brown got traded for Pau Gasol. Miracles happen. You just have to believe, Knicks fans.