Gameplan
• GROOVE
To Press Hop
What's more entertaining than a YouTube compilation of press conference meltdowns? A compilation of meltdowns mashed up with a funky beat, which is what deejay Steve Porter has created. The result is entertaining and oddly transfixing. Rarely has Jim ("Playoffs?!?") Mora sounded so fly.
• WATCH
U.S. vs. Grenada
No rest for the weary. Days after his return from South Africa (page 27), U.S. coach Bob Bradley will be in Seattle on July 4 for the CONCACAF Gold Cup (Fox Soccer Channel 9 p.m.). Among the new faces on the roster: forward Brian Ching, who missed the Confederations Cup with a hamstring injury.
• READ
Go like Hell
As automakers scale back their commitment to racing, A.J. Baime's new book examines a period when one company made it its mission to build the perfect race car: the early 1960s, when Henry Ford II tried to inject life into his grandfather's sagging company by taking on Ferrari in the 24 Hours of LeMans.
• STUFF
Your face
It's summer. It's a holiday. Go nuts by the grill. But if you want to see some real bingeing, take a few minutes at noon to watch ESPN for Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest from Coney Island. Last year Joey Chestnut took down Takeru Kobayashi in a dramatic overtime eat-off.
• WATCH
The Coke Zero 400
What was once a holiday tradition in Daytona hasn't been held on the Fourth since 1992, when Richard Petty led a race for the last time. It's back on its rightful day (TNT 8 p.m.), and thanks to Kasey Kahne, the King is in the mix. Two weeks ago Kahne (page 56) gave Petty his first win as an owner since 1999.
• PUT ON
Your best hat and bolo tie
And hit the 10-day Calgary Stampede, which runs through July 12 and features everything from miniature-donkey shows to chuck-wagon races. Sure, it's hard to watch the chuck wagons without thinking of a certain cute dog-food ad, but the 36 drivers are very serious. A $1.15 million purse is at stake.
The Pop Culture Grid
Locker room pranks
Inside the Grid
Hanigan majored in philosophy at Rollins College. Holden thinks he should write the sequel to H. Allen Smith's The Compleat Practical Joker because his never-ending clubhouse war with teammate Kei Kamara has made him the ultimate prankster.
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RON HOSKINS/GETTY IMAGES (MORA)
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KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT/US PRESSWIRE (SOCCER PLAYER)
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LUCAS JACKSON/REUTERS (CHESTNUT)
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EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR (KAHNE)
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COURTESY OF CALGARY STAMPEDE (HORSES)
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IMAGE SOURCE PINK/GETTY IMAGES (WHOOPEE CUSHION)
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CORBIS (COOKIES)
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ANTHONY VASSER/ICON SMI (HOLDEN)
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CHUCK SOLOMON (HILL)
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JON KOPALOFF/FILMMAGIC/GETTY IMAGES (CARANO)
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MARK J. REBILAS/US PRESSWIRE (HANIGAN)
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DARREN CALABRESE/THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP (HILTON)
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ROBERT E. KLEIN/AP (COOPER)
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