By updating RealClearSports I read hundreds of articles every week but sometimes there are particularly passages that need highlighting. And to make these passages more palatable I'm doing them in award form! The awards are completely random and will change weekly (though some may become reoccurring).

This first edition will actually be covering from July 25 until August 3 because July 25 is when I thought of this idea and August 3 is when I decided to actually make this happen. Deal with it. In bold are what the awards are for.

Crushing Cities Hopes

From Peter King of Sports Illustrated: Today is time for hope. I tweeted the other day the reason this is such a fun time is because 32 teams think they have a chance to make the playoffs right now, and I think about 28 actually do. (Scratch St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Buffalo and probably Cleveland, though I guess it's possible Jake Delhomme can be reborn and the Browns could eke out nine wins.)

Sorry St. Louis, Tampa and Buffalo. Better luck next year.

Most Interesting LeBron Insult

From Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times: How does James like being in the background of the recent Sports Illustrated cover behind white-toothed, smiling Wade and Bosh, much like Ron Harper might have found himself behind Jordan and Scottie Pippen around 1996.

LeBron has been called a lot of names and been dubbed the Most Hated Person in Sports but comparing LeBron James - who has won the past two MVPs - to Ron Harper? It's genius because it's not something so over the top as Most Hated. It's like in Seinfeld when Elaine breaks up with a blind date and he tells her she has a big head. It's so specific and not over the top that it gets in your head. Well done.

Unfortunate Headline

From NHL.com: "Parent, Predators Agree to Two-Year Deal"

A Chris Hansen joke is just too easy.

Dumbest Decision by an Editor

From Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

I'm not even going to block quote any of this. Daugherty wrote an entire article with NO REFERENCES to sports (I think - didn't even get through the whole thing). You're not Bill Simmons. No one cares.

Funniest Fan

From Mike Wise of the Washington Post: "We love you, Albert!" someone yelled. He raised his hand in a mock wave just in time to hear the retort. "We'd love you more if you lose 10 more pounds."

Of course, Albert is Albert Haynesworth and that fan is probably a commenter on Deadspin.

Use of Outdated Stereotype

From George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel: I'm sure that (Dwight) Howard is tired of all the background noise about his untapped potential -- from season-ticket holders, bloggers in their grandmother's basements and annoying media know-it-alls like Skip Bayless and short Hispanic sports columnists in Orlando.

Harboring some resentment for the people that are driving your people out of work? What's also funny is that he writes a blog for Orlando Sentinel. Perhaps he lives in his mom's basement. If that's the case then I apologize and am sorry for him.

Best Quote on Favre "Retirement"

Shutdown Corner lists the 10 best quotes and number two is my favorite: "Pacing back and forth as he decides retirement, Brett Favre accidentally completes Redskins conditioning test." -- ESPN.com's Jeff MacGregor, on Twitter

Preaching to the Choir

From Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie on how the NBA must correct it's problem with players egos: And I don't know what the NBA can do to force LeBron James to take his sunglasses off when he's indoors, or to keep Chris Paul's trade demands from leaking out, or if it can turn Dwight Howard's Ed Hardy T-shirt inside-out (OK, that's just a personal preference), but the league has to watch itself.

The sooner everyone realizes Ed Hardy shirts are the ugliest and most ridiculously priced clothing item the better.