Cortland Coleman

Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon doesn't mind a fight. In fact, he's tangled with governors, environmentalists and NBA fans. McClendon is not a typical CEO and Chesapeake is not a typical natural gas company. The business he co-founded with $50,000 has seen massive shifts in the market and stock price, but is now worth $25 billion. Chesapeake is in a fortuitous spot thanks to the anticipated decline of coal, booming international development and smart choices early on in natural gas. But, McClendon's not finished yet. Read this entertaining article to learn more about his plans for clean energy, the (Oklahoma!) Sonics and your bank account.

China is a bit touchy about honest, free media reporting from Tibet. Yesterday, the quasi-communists tightened travel to the country on media outlets planning to cover the Olympic torch's ascension of Mt. Everest, located in Tibet. Today, Chinese officials suddenly demanded early payments for travel from media outlets wishing to cover the event billed by China as "the brightest point in the torch relay." Unprepared to meet such awkward, hasty demands, many media outlets scrambled to cough up the cash. However, even that wasn't good enough. Apparently...

The situation descended into farce when the Olympic official tasked with collecting payments refused to accept the fees from organisations including AFP and other international news agencies as he headed to the airport to purchase the tickets.

"I'm sorry, it is too late. I am going to the airport now," said Xu Xianhui, a Beijing Games media official.

It was not immediately clear if the refusal to accept payment was part of an official government decision to keep reporters out of Tibet.

If it wasn't so tragic it would be hilarious. 

Two of my favorite teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Clinton political machine, scored major victories yesterday. Both have been counted out several times in the past, yet both keep winning and coming back for more. Let's hope they can build on their momentum, keep winning and go for their respective ultimate prizes: Lord Stanley's Cup and the White House (remember, Obama fans, this is about the White House, not the nomination).

Folks in the Lehigh Valley are getting a new minor league baseball team, the Iron Pigs. What comes with every new baseball team? A mascot, of course. The Pigs recently named their lovable swine of a mascot "Pork Chop." Corny, but OK. However, the team was forced to abandon the name in an embarrassing public relations blunder. It seems that pork chop is how some racist employers in the area used to refer to Puerto Rican workers. Within 48 hours of Pork Chop being announced to the world, the Pigs gave up the foodie moniker and went with something a bit more cold and sterile, much like the steel that made the area famous. The mascot's new name? Ferrous. Yes, Ferrous. They couldn't have made the name much worse.

What IS worse than the name is the shoddy work done by the Pigs staff in selecting the name in first place. The team was shocked to learn of the Puerto Ricans community's outrage about a racial slur being touted as the name for a baseball mascot. Pigs' General Manager Kurt Landes said, "We were really unaware of any negative connotations with the word pork chop."

No doubt about that, Kurt. Try a little more local research next time.

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I really don't know how this guy can pull this off.

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Only the Arizona Cardinals would send a check to a new player for $500,000 and deduct $14 from the payment to cover the FedEx fee. The Bidwill family has always been cheap, and their unwillingness to truly commit to their players is evident in the players' unwillingness to commit to the team and actually win games. Thank God I am leaving Arizona, if only so I can once again root for a real football team.

I ran a 6-mile race in the desert last weekend. These 3 guys are wrapping up their 4,000-mile run through the desert. I better keep practicing!

I previously wrote that the Phoenix Suns are off to a scary start for a championship-caliber team. Things are only getting tougher for the Suns. Unbelievably, the Suns and the Cardinals could end up with identical records very soon.

Anyone notice that the Phoenix Suns have lost 3 of their first 4 games? I know it can be tough getting out of the chute, but this championship-caliber team needs to pull it together pretty fast. The Suns are streaky so their time should come soon, but digging out of a hole early in the season isn't always easy, and certainly isn't confidence-inspiring.

When will this team learn how to win? Certainly not before they learn to play with passion and a killer instinct. And, of course, not until they build a solid team from the ground up, develop a strong, consistent program and infuse management with a burning need to win.

It could be a while.

How's that for an obvious post title?

Tonight's display by the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football was a disgrace. This team is not a group of professionals with a burning desire to be the best. The Cardinals don't deserve to win, and so they don't win. They suck.

Dennis Green should be fired tomorrow morning, and he can feel free to take Edgerrin James with him. What a waste.