– Sports betting was dealt a significant blow today. A federal court of appeal was supposed to rule on the sports leagues’ attempts to get an injunction to stop Delaware from starting sports betting on September 1. They decided not to stop there, though – they went all the way and ruled that the whole thing broke the law. Delaware can still appeal to the Supreme Court, or even ask the court of appeals to reconsider, but the chances of success seem bleak. The NFL has admitted that the state is allowed to take multi-game bets – parlays and the like – but they can’t do single game bets. It’s the single game bets that were going to be the most attractive, so the state may not even bother going forward with their plans now. Very disappointing.

– Concerning news out of New York – Johan Santana has been pulled out of his next start, scheduled for tomorrow against Florida, because of a sore pitching elbow. Even more concerning is word that he hasn’t been pitching on his off days since before the all-star break because of the discomfort. Here’s hoping that it’s just a passing problem – he’s far too good to miss any significant time.

– Another not-so-good story, this time out of Miami. Michael Beasley has reportedly checked into a rehab clinic to deal with, well we don’t know what for sure – some combination of substance abuse issues and depression. I don’t pretend to be any kind of an expert on the subject. I just hope that he’s okay and that he gets back to the court soon – the guy is too freakishly talented not to be playing.

– Great move by the Chargers today. Though Philip Rivers still has a year left on his rookie contract, the team secured him for the long term today – six year and $92 million. Rivers is a low risk proposition. My only issue with the deal is that it is less than the one Eli Manning got. Sure, Manning has a Super Bowl, but I’d take Rivers any day if I had to choose.